Fates Come to Pass
by Ana McQuinn
Summary: They say that no one can ever truly escape the fate that is destined to you. So what if that fate finally comes to pass. Will you live happily ever after or will you suffer for all eternity?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hiya, everyone! Well this is my first MoB fic and I hope you all enjoy! It's a bit OOC, I guess, cuz I've never read the manga and am ONLY basing this story off of the Anime. I've seen the whole series and the OVA. I've found a bits of info from the manga that I will be tossing in there, but the timeline and events of this fic are all anime based. Just so you lovely ppl know. Also I've added my own character. Now before I hear the groans about OCs in stories... trust me... this is different. I love to be unpredictable and this fic is definitely that. And who knows.. maybe my char will suprise you? _

_I hope you enjoy and PLEASE send feedback... I love it. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Mirage of Blaze of the charming characters in it. I wish I did tho! So sad... _

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_**Mirage of Blaze**_

**_Fates Come to Pass_**

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_**Chapter One: A Cat Named Helena**_

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"Meow…"

A tiny black kitten with white paws and white tipped ears mewed loudly swatting at a feather. A tiny bell on a silken red ribbon jingled as she played. Her master giggled dancing the feather back and forth in front of the tiny ball of black.

Unbound raven hair fell to the sides of slim shoulders as she laughed. She wore a kimono made of ice blue silk with an elegantly stitched white crane and small white petals. Slender with lush curves and a beautiful face the young woman knelt on the stone path winding through the castle gardens.

A young man stood next to her, his hair the same raven black yet a few shades lighter, was dressed just as elegantly. He smiled softly at the pair and kneeled down next to the woman.

"Do you like her, Hanairo?"

She turned to him beaming as the kitten swatted eagerly at the feather. "Oh, she's just so wonderful… so perfect! I love her already. Thank you."

He nodded and wiggled his fingers at the kitten that came to him instantly. She meowed again in complete obedience. Grinning he lifted the feline into his arms and stroked her dark fur.

"I thought she might aid you. Perhaps help you focus?"

He did not look at her as he spoke, but he could feel her watching him with those eyes, those amazing, glowing eyes.

Swaying back and forth on her wooden shoes she stood and gazed down at him, kitten still in his arms. "Nothing can focus me. We have already learned that, have we not? Besides…"

He looked up at her as she gazed into the distance. He could tell she was envisioning herself jumping over the large castle wall and running away from the fate that was destined to her.

He stood too, holding the small bundle of fur out to her. She took the kitten cuddling it tightly. It purred loudly.

Touching the small of her back he ushered her towards the door and her maids. "Besides what?" he asked softly.

A man appeared in the distance dressed more finely than they were. His hair a light brown in contrast to their raven locks, with dark eyes and a disapproving frown etched deeply on his face, he gazed at her down the shadowy hallway. She sighed her face suddenly becoming an impassive and icy mask. Turning she handed the purring ball of fluff back to the man at her side.

" I doubt my fiancée would like it much if I had a pet… even if it was from you, my brother." She bowed gracefully then walked away from both men, her maids following at her heels.

Glaring darkly at the man down the hall he turned and put the kitten on the hardwood floor. "Go and follow your new master now."

The kitten blinked up at him with large, glowing, green eyes. Turning hesitantly the feline followed after the girl, her little bell singing softly the whole way.

* * *

_He heard it… a soft ringing sound like a tiny bell echoing in his mind. _

"Takaya Ohgi shook his head slightly disturbed by the ringing in his brain. It was not the type of ringing that he heard when his dad would beat him nor was it the irritating ringing of an alarm clock or large bell. No, this was a tiny, joyous type ringing like a small silver bell.

"Odd…" he muttered to himself as he walked slowly towards the main school door. Dressed ready to survive a nuclear winter with a heavy gray coat, scarf and gloves, he had just parked his motorcycle when the little tingling sound had begun in his mind. And he was sure it was in his head because, well, there was nothing here to make that sound… right?

Stopping in mid step he looked around the empty lot using his spiritual powers to see what his eyes could not. Nothing. There truly was nothing there so he must be going insane. Gripping his head he grumbled and sulked.

Life sucked!

It had been two weeks. Two miserably long weeks since he had made his little declaration of war. Two weeks of waiting to see if the man he had declared war upon would actually rise up and beat him and finally take him. Said man, however, had not spoken to him in two weeks.

_Damn you, Naoe, you prick. _He cursed inwardly stewing on his pain. Oh yes, he had made himself a nice little stew complete with resentment, anger, bitterness and a dash of irritation. Then, of course, he could top it all off with a dollop of guilt.

Yes, well _maybe _part of their problem was because of him… just _maybe_ a little bit, but definitely the rest of it was Naoe's.

The man had betrayed his trust and friendship and played him for a fool. And he said he loved him? Pah! There was something between them all right, but it certainly was not love. And yet, deep down in his heart, some unnamed feeling made him tremble.

Perhaps that was why he had said, "and if you can beat me, Naoe, that will be the day you can have me". Was that why because of the little tremors Naoe's blatant stares of desire caused in him? But did he shake because of Kagetora or because of himself, Takaya? Did they both desire Naoe or was it just… _him_?

"Psycho man servant," he muttered under his breath then seeing his breath made him realize he was cold.

His irritation and anger, however, kept him warm as he stood in that empty lot and festered on his ill feelings towards the most loyal person in his life. And, he thought, _that_ was one of the problems. Naoe was his loyal servant and yet he wanted to dominate him. Granted just sexually, but that could never lead to anything good. How could one stay in control of their dog if they let it do all it desired to do? Then trying to get back in control of that animal would be nearly impossible. You would just be yelling a wild beast instead of a trained dog.

Of course he knew that was the reason why Naoe avoided him like the plague. Naoe's desire for him made the man crazy and the tiny little bit of sanity left in him made him avoid the one thing that made him nuts: Lord Kagetora. Though he never seemed to avoid Takaya for very long, which lead to a bigger problem. Every time Naoe would act on his desire there would be some very harsh words and actions and then the cycle would repeat itself. For four hundred years they had been repeating the same viscous cycle. And when it was all said and done, things just seemed to get worse instead of better.

There was still a large part of him, however, that got extremely aggravated when Naoe left him alone. He always got that way, too. Very irritable and cranky, snapping at everyone and everything because his "pet" was nowhere to be found. But why was that? Why was he always so pissed off with Naoe for leaving him when all he had ever told him to do was to leave?

Because… Nobutsuna Naoe belonged to _him_ and no one else.

That was why he had asked him to try and beat him. Try and win for Godsakes in their little game of master and servant. Prove that he meant more to him than some conquest to satisfy some sadistic need. And, not to be forgotten was the fact that there was a _very_ deeply buried part of himself that really wanted Naoe to beat him.

"Idiot!" he yelled then smacked himself in the forehead hard enough to see spots. Why _was _he thinking that? That was when he heard it again, that silly little ringing sound.

"Meow."

Blinking wildly he stared down at the black cat with the white paws and white tipped ears and tail. It walked out of the bushes; a tiny, silver bell around its neck jingling as it came towards him. Gracefully and as delicately as if walking on air the cat reached him then sat down in front of him, tail wrapping around it's body; it then bowed it's head as if in reverence.

Something about the black feline caused his head to hurt instantly and his chest to burn. Gripping his chest he cursed. This was the same type of feeling that he had when he first learned what it was like to feel another possessor. But it was ridiculous to feel this way towards a cat, right?

Moaning in pain he fell to his knees. The feline looked up at him then, green eyes bright and knowing. It meowed again and placed two dainty paws on his knees. The burning feeling suddenly vanished. He breathed deeply trying to calm himself. The cat meowed then purred, crawling into his lap.

Grunting he tried to push the beast off when it dug it's nails into his tights.

"Oww! Mother fucker!"

The cat growled low in it's throat and released it's nails then started shaking it's head making the tiny bell around it's neck ring like mad.

"Stop it! Stop it you crazy cat!" he yelled reaching out to calm the beast. "You're probably rabid for all my luck."

The cat then purred rubbing its neck against his hand. His fingers touched the red silk ribbon that attached the bell to the cat. He turned the silver trinket in his fingers. There etched by hand was the name Helena.

_"I can't keep her… he'll kill me. You know that, yes?"_

_"I want you to keep her. She's my gift to you, so you won't be lonely there."_

_"No… I… I really, really can't."_

_"You can, because I said so. She's yours."_

_"But…"_

_"Just name the thing already."_

_"Hell… well… I… ah…"_

_"Helena it is then."_

He blinked rapidly his skull throbbing as he clutched the bell tightly in his fist. It was nothing new to sometimes have a memory flash from his other lives yet this one was different. He seemed happy and sad all in one. That and he was talking to a woman, he was sure of it. Though he could not see their face nor anything else very distinguishing about them, he knew it was a female. Was that a memory of Minako? Had he given her a cat… this cat?

No, he was being ridiculous. That was more than thirty years ago. If he had given Minako a cat the creature would be long dead by now. So who was it? His head throbbed as he tried to think to search through the darkness of his mind to find out whose cat this was.

The school bell rang pulling him from his thoughts.

Standing, he put the animal on the ground. "Shoo," he muttered shaking his hand. "Go home."

Those huge green eyes did nothing but blink up at him. She then proceeded to rub against his legs, mewing loudly.

With an exasperated sigh, Takaya stepped away from the cat. "Shoo! Go home. I'm not your master. Go on, get!" he said in a rather nasty tone hoping to frighten the animal away. He then started walking towards the door.

She followed.

He stopped, turned around and glared down at the animal, his tiger-eyes flashing. "Go home, cat! Don't make me call the pound," he threatened.

But she did not leave nor did she seem scared. Instead she sat her furry little bottom on the icy pavement and meowed up at him. Groaning he pointed to the school door. "I'm going to class. You," pointing towards the bushes she had come from, "go home!"

At that he stalked away glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. To his surprise the cat was gone. He blinked, frozen for a moment, because he could have sworn he saw the last flickering of green spiritual flames where she had just been. But that was crazy, right? Of course it was. It was _just_ a cat… an annoying cat, but still just a cat. Finally, with one last look around the parking lot – both spiritually and with his own eyes – he headed inside the school. His mind was playing tricks on him… _right_?

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Four days later Helena the cat was still following him around. She seemed to appear wherever he was. That first day he had come out of school to find her sitting on his bike. After shoving her off, much to her annoyed hissing, he drove off hoping to never see her again. However as he stopped in the arcade she was there on the ledge of a wall looking down at him. Then as he got home he could hear her meow coming from the alleyway behind his family's apartment. He saw her sitting on his windowsill looking in on him in his room. He finally had to shut the blinds to get rid of her bright stare. He could still feel her though, watching him.

Now four days later he was sort of, not really, but trying to accept his new shadow. Yuzuru absolutely love the feline. Helena seemed to like him too. Though when he had told his best friend that the cat had just showed up one day – and how she was stalking him – he said that maybe he looked like her former owner. Maybe she was lost and just trying to find her way home. But that, he wanted to point out, would not explain why she seemed to be everywhere he was and always right as he got there.

But as he leaned against the wall of his bedroom, a blanket thrown over his lap, Helena laying on his stomach making his chest rumble, he could not really think of much besides the comfort she was providing and the fact that he felt sleepy. The phone was pressed against his ear as Nagahide rattled on about some er other… oh, wait… yes… Nagahide was telling him about some of Oda's moving forces. They were moving from the west and acting very suspicious then again when were they not?

He yawned.

Helena started kneading his stomach and purring louder.

"Takaya, are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah? I'm listening. Sorry, Chiaki… sheeze. Not all of us can be in Toyama, at the beach, vacationing."

"Shut up, you ass, you know I'm here because you've already missed too much school and the principle won't let you take anymore time off. Besides, it's cold as fuck here! What crazy person would go swimming in the ocean at this time of year?" There was a pause on Nagahide's side and then he said, "And WHAT is that damn noise! Are you outside or somethin'?"

Yawning again he muttered, "What noise?"

"What noise? That purring noise. Is that your bike? Are you seriously that big an idiot to be outside on a night like this?"

It was ten after one in the morning and about plus five outside.

Takaya laughed slightly. "Ha, no, it's my cat."

"Cat? You mean a _cat _is making that god-awful racket? And since when, do you have a cat?"

Takaya smiled again only this time more sleepily. He ran his fingers through Helena's sleek fur and answered his fellow possessor. "Well… since a few days ago. I don't know, she kinda found me or somethin'."

He could almost see the wise-ass look on Nagahide's face as he said, "Uh-huh… kay. Well what is the purring machine's name?"

"Huh? Oh… Helena."

Due to his very tired state Takaya did not realize that Nagahide was silent for a whole two minutes. "Helena…?" the longhaired possessor breathed into the phone. "A black cat with white socks?"

"Wha? Yeah… why?"

"I have to go." And with that he hung up.

Takaya looked at the phone and blinked. Hitting the talk button he slid to his side and curled up around Helena. He pulled the blanket over both of them and fell asleep.

Now if he had been more awake perhaps he would have questioned Nagahide on why he knew what Helena looked like or why he got off the phone so quickly. But he would not and did not until it was too late.

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_Questions... comments... concerns? And, yes, I know my grammer is bad. I'm looking for a beta... anyone?_

_Ana_


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter Two: The New Girl & Old Memories

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Parking his motorcycle he pulled off his helmet-letting raven locks blow in the icy breeze. There was a strange feeling following him around all morning. It was tingling in his chest and fluttering in his stomach, but he could not place its source or meaning. He had tried to call Nagahide back yesterday to see how things were going in Toyama. There was no answer all day and there was still no answer today.

Part of him wanted to ignore the strange air and the fact that he could not reach Nagahide. But the other part of him, the part that was more Kagetora, knew better. Something was going to happen and it was going to be big.

He sighed, scanning the lot with his spiritual powers, then with the coast clear, he unzipped his jacket. Helena's bright eyes blinked up at him.

"We're here. Out."

She gave a small kitty yawn and stretched against his belly and chest. She then hopped out of his coat and onto the top end of his bike.

"Good, girl," he murmured and scratched under her chin. "I'll be back later. Stay warm, kay?" At that he dismounted and walked into school.

He made a beeline straight for his locker. The funny feeling in the pit of his stomach started fluttering faster and faster. Something or someone was here. Trying to push down on the feeling he removed his coat and stuffed it in his locker, then he changed his shoes.

"Hiya, Takaya!"

He turned and smiled slightly at his golden haired friend. "Hi, Yuzuru. How's your morning been going so far?"

Yuzuru smiled at him and leaned up against the lockers. "It's been good. Saori and Yuriko want to go for hot chocolate after school today. Do you want to come with us?"

But before Takaya could answer his friend a loud ringing started echoing in his mind. It was like the pounding of a bass drum, but at a deafening pitch. He shook his head, then scratched it as if to get rid of the sound. The pounding, however, simply picked up and became louder.

"Wha?" he muttered gripping his head.

"I asked if… are you okay, Takaya?"

It beat more intensely, faster and faster, louder and louder. Takaya gripped his head and rubbed his temples. What was going on? Was this a migraine or was it a Possessor thing?

"Takaya?" Yuzuru asked, his voice full of concern. His friend had started trembling and groaning, pushing in on his skull as if to squash it. "What's wrong, Takaya?"

It was thudding louder and louder and louder… faster… faster… like horses running across his brain and then he heard it…

_Look up!_

His head whipped up and instantly the sound was gone. And his eyes locked onto a girl standing only a few feet from him.

"Takaya!" He felt Yuzuru touch his sleeve, but he ignored him his eyes only focused on the girl before him a few lockers away. She was extremely beautiful with ivory skin and raven hair. She had lush curves yet was petite with a slightly muscular build. She wore the traditional girl's uniform of olive and white, but let her hair fall freely down her back.

He blinked and she turned. He then found himself gazing into the brightest pair of blue eyes he had ever seen. They were the color of a summer sky or an icy pond and they were locked onto his. She suddenly broke her gaze and started walking towards him, her nose in the air.

"Yuzuru… who…"

His friend must have been as flabbergasted by the girl coming towards them as he was because he stuttered an, "I-I… d-don't know…"

Takaya could hear her shoes clicking on the title as she came closer and closer. His chest started burning, but he ignored it too caught up in the mysterious beauty walking towards him.

She then walked right past him without a second glance.

That's when he saw it. A disgusting image of a body on a cross, blood pooling at it's feet. It had no hair, no clothes and no hands. Lashes, cuts and burn marks marred the body of what he now determined to be a girl.

"Hanairo!" 

He gasped as his vision cleared and the named died on his lips. _Who is Hanairo?_ The girl continued on her way stepping past him as if he had not spoken. With the reflexes of a cat he grabbed her arm and spun her around. He found himself caught up in that gaze again. Then he heard the high pitched screams of terror in his mind and he released her arm almost violently.

Arching a delicate, ebony eyebrow she glared at him. "Excuse me? Can I help you?"

"Who is Hanairo!"

"Eh?" she asked blinking at him. "I have no idea."

"Then why did I say _her_ name as _you_ walked by? _Who is she_?" he asked grabbing her arm again. This time nothing happened, much to his own relief.

"You're ex, perhaps?" She shrugged and smirked at him. "I doubt, though, that she was as beautiful as me."

"And _who_ are you?" he growled giving her arm a little shake.

She glared down at his hand and then drew her blue glaze up to him. "Release me this instant, you psycho, before I scream."

He did as instructed, but not without a few moments of deep consideration. She rubbed the slender limb and glared. Fluffing out her hair – a faint lemony sent reaching his nose - she turned to walk away.

"Who are you!" he yelled in his most 'commanding warlord' sort of way.

She stopped, cocked her hip and placed one delicate hand there. "I am Yakata Amiee. And _who_ are you?"

"I am Ohgi Takaya," he nearly shouted.

She looked him up and down real good and he felt seconds away from shivering. "Pleasure," she drawled then turned and walked away.

"Who is Hanairo?" He did shout this time and followed after her. "Are you Hanairo?"

"Are you _insane_!" she asked glaring at him like an ice queen. "I have no idea. I told you that before. So how I could be Hanairo?"

"Then why did I say her name as you walked by… and what was with that image! Are you sick or something?"

This time both hands were on her hips as she blinked at him in rage. "_What!_ What the _hell_ are you talking about? I am Yakata Amiee and I transferred here from Suza High. I don't know Hanairo, and if I did I would tell her that it's a good thing she left you… you crazy bastard." At that she turned and started walking quickly away. "And if you come after me again… I'll kick you so hard in the testicles you'll have to pray for puberty to hit once more so that they descend again!" She turned the corner and was gone.

Takaya blinked wildly then turned and took off back towards his locker. He stopped short and stared at Yuzuru who had gone white and looked utterly sick.

"Yuzuru… are you okay?" he asked shaking his friend.

"She suffered so much and all because of you."

"What!"

Yuzuru blinked and rubbed his head. "Oh, Takaya, sorry… what happened just then?"

"I… I don't know. But I have to go." He grabbed his coat and shoes out of his locker. Quickly changing he asked, "Are you okay, Yuzuru?"

"Yes. I'm fine, why?"

"Because you said that 'she suffered and all because of you'." He slipped his arm into his coat, pulling out his cell phone and turning it on.

"I did?" the blonde blinked and shook his head. "I don't remember. That's weird."

"Yeah and that's not the only weird thing today." He dialed Haruie's number and listened to it ring. "Look, Yuzuru, I have to go. But I'll give you a call later tonight, okay?"

"Um… sure Takaya, is everything okay?"

"Yeah I…"

"Hello!" a perky female voice chirped into the phone.

"Haruie listen…"

"I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now…"

Takaya's face soured and he grumbled under his breath. "I hate her answer machine." _Where the devil is she_?

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Meanwhile in Yokohama, Haruie sat neck deep in mud. Her golden hair tied up in a fluffy white towel. A muscled god kneeled behind her rubbing the back of her neck while a young girl filed her fingernails. New Age music played gently in the background.

Haruie sighed and wiggled deeper into the mud. "Yes… this is the life." The muscled man finished his message and placed two cucumbers over her eyes. "Oh yes," she murmured, "this is the life."

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Takaya ran to his motorcycle all the while trying to dial Nagahide's number. Helena poked her little head out of his helmet and yawned jumping onto the ground.

The phone simply rang and rang until the stupid auto message picked up saying that the subscriber was out of range. Why was nobody around when he needed them?

"Hanairo…" he whispered into the icy breeze the name both foreign and familiar on his tongue.

He had to know who she was. The image that came to his mind when Yakata Amiee walked by him was more gruesome than he could handle. Was that body Hanairo's?

He shook his head trying to shake the bloody corpse from his mind. He needed answers and there was really only one other person left who could answer them. Granted he should call first just to make sure he was home and unoccupied, but, he was his servant. He should drop everything instantly just to see and obey his lord.

He nodded, mind made up, and hopped on his bike. Bending over he grabbed Helena and stuck her in his coat. Zipping them both up he put on his helmet and tore out of the parking lot. He would find out who Hanairo was and he would put his three-week dry spell to an end because, after all, Naoe would be happy to see him.

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	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter Three: Together Again

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Naoe sat in the zashiki, the furthest room in the back of the house, reading up on the day's stock quotes. He really was not in the mood to check them; it was just an excuse to do _something_. Something other than thinking and stewing on the past few weeks like he had done for, well, the past few weeks.

_Lord Kagetora…_

That name, that man, was never far from his mind. Even when separated they were still linked together. It would be three weeks officially on Thursday. Three weeks of being separated from his master. Oh granted he had separated himself from him of his own accord, but that did not make it any less painful.

'_And if you ever get tired of being a loser you can try and beat me and if you can beat me, Naoe, that will be the day you can have me.' _

Those words, that challenge, echoed in his mind ever second of the day since it happened. Those golden eyes flashing green as it was declared. His Lord Kagetora had declared war on their relationship and then… _Takaya_ had blushed. Of course the teen could blame those pinkish cheeks on the icy nip in the air, but Naoe knew better. He had blushed and his heart had tripped in his chest making him want to reach out and touch the one thing he was never allowed to touch.

He laid his paper on the coffee table. His whole body ached, especially his heart. He had a damn good reason for avoiding Ohgi Takaya and that was because of how irrational he became around the teen; and Takaya did not deserve that even if, at times, he felt he did. His lord and master, however, did deserve his irrational behavior. Lord Kagetora had always tried to push him away, but would never truly let him go. He felt like a yo-yo and Lord Kagetora held the string. But Takaya, he could tell, wanted him around even though he did not always _say_ that.

He was not quite sure when he had started thinking of Takaya and Kagetora as separate people. In the past Lord Kagetora was himself simply in a different body. But now without his memories he was just an easily flustered, awkward and fiery young man who did things his way and no one else's.

Takaya _lived_ his life.

Possessors always seemed to be stuck in the past, even he was, but Takaya was _living_. He still did things to help the common man just like Lord Kagetora. He was still sulky and bristly. He still had the tiger-eyes and the commanding voice of Kagetora. He was still fiercely loyal to those around him. _He was still the same!_ Hell, he still took his tea with a splash of milk. So they were the same, right? And yet… Takaya was a bit more wide-eyed and innocent. He definitely did not carry around the same bitterness that Kagetora had. He also seemed much more forgiving. Takaya had still allowed him to live when he was sure his master would have killed him for his indiscretions.

It was Takaya's innocence, though, that he found the most attractive. He was like a small child ready to take the world by storm. And yet, as child-like and innocent as Takaya was he was still a young man with wants and needs. Needs that Naoe _really_ wanted to meet.

Even though he thought of them, as different people one big thing remained the same: _he desired them_. Before it did not matter what body Lord Kagetora was in as long as it was his soul, but now, now he really wanted both the body and the soul. Eventually, he swore to himself, he would have it. He would take and possess Ohgi Takaya, his Lord Kagetora, because he desired him, he needed him, he loved him.

And that was all there was too it.

The screen door separating his little sanctuary from the rest of the hall opened and one of the servants bowed to him.

"Yes, what is it?" he muttered slightly annoyed at having his thoughts interrupted.

"Sir, I'm sorry for intruding, but the main gate has just informed me that an Ohgi Takaya has entered the grounds and shall be here in a few moments."

"Takaya…" he whispered his heart suddenly flying into his throat while his stomach plummeted to his toes. "Takaya is here?" he asked more to absorb the reality of this than to question his servant.

"Yes, sir. He is on his way up now."

Taking a few calming breaths he stood and walked towards the door. "Good. Usher him into the nakanoma."

"The middle part of the house, sir?"

"Yes. I do not wish to be disturbed. Also make sure there is tea and…" he looked at his watch: 10:42am, "make sure there is a light lunch prepared as well."

"Yes, sir!" the servant bowed and walked off to do his master's bidding.

Naoe watched him go then ran a not to steady hand through his hair. Why on earth was Takaya here? Of course he was just fooling himself into believing it was because he missed him. The young man had basically told him – on more than one occasion – to get the hell out of his life. But no matter how many times he would try to leave he always seemed to come crawling back. Today it seemed that even though his lord had told him to leave he needed him for something and had sought him out.

Perhaps Kagetora really did _need _and _want_ him after all.

Naoe calmly refrained from clicking his heels instead he had himself a smoke.

* * *

Takaya parked his bike right outside the front gate of the Tachibana Temple. He could tell, by taking a quick look around, that the temple must be beautiful in the spring through autumn months, but in the winter, covered in ice and snow, it just looked dismal. Gods above he hoped it was warm in there!

His twenty-minute bike ride had nearly frozen his fingers not to mention every other part of his body. The only warm part was his stomach and that was only because of Helena. Unzipping his coat the fuzzy black head popped out and meowed up at him, taking in her surroundings.

"Hush now. Stay down and be good. I'll sneak you in. I doubt Naoe will mind… and even if he does I'll order him to let you stay. So don't worry."

"Meow."

He nodded and zipped up his coat then paused. "It's official… I've gone fucking crazy. I'm talking to a cat. Shit…" he breathed out.

Perhaps the only reason he was talking to Helena in the first place was because his legs felt like rubber and stomach was doing the tango. Not that he needed to be nervous or anything he was just going to see Naoe.

Naoe with his wet cardboard type personality and anal retentive-neat freak tendencies and his smoking. Honestly the man was like a freaking chimney. He constantly had a cigarette between his fingers. He always had the lingering smell of smoke, but then the smoke would mix with his really expensive cologne and create this sensual manly smell that would become more apparent whenever he would sweat. Tiny, shimmering beads of sweat running down taunt skin like water. Each bead on that smooth, ivory skin of his would sparkle and tantalize until it needed to be lapped up by a very eager young tongue; his nose would brush against the prespering skin and inhale that smoky scent as he reached the apex of his legs and…

Takaya pinched the top of his hand hard enough to leave a mark then cursed under his breath. Stupid Naoe and his intoxicating smell! He needed to stuff old sushi in the man's pockets or something to get rid of that smell. Oh no… what if his whole house had that smell? It would be everywhere teasing and tormenting him in the most inappropriate ways just as it was doing now when there was no smell at all and, oh shit… there would be no escaping it.

_Okay, fuck it!_ He did not care who the hell Hanairo was. If she were really _that_ important he'd remember on his own. He didn't need to be here, at Naoe's house, breathing in his sent and making him want to do all those dirty things his wet dreams had imagined. He was just going to turn around and try to call Nagahide or Haurie again and then things would be fine. Better than fine… _perfect!_

"Sir?"

"Shit," he muttered drawing his gaze from the stone path towards the door where a servant stood a smile on his old, wrinkled face. "Yes?" he mumbled bowing.

"Ohgi Takaya…" the little man bowed and extended his hand into the house. "This way, please."

_Damn!_ Now that he was caught he had no way out. He had to go through with this. At least, he had to admit, he felt a little more comfortable with Helena safe in his coat. He smiled softly down at the bulge in his jacket and readjusted his arms under the feline then followed the servant.

* * *

Takaya was ushered into a room simply decorated with two cushions seated around a table. A steaming teapot and two cups were already placed at the center of the table as well as a pair of chopsticks, bowls and napkins.

_Naoe always thinks of everything_, he thought to himself and the slight rumbling of his stomach.

"Sir, your coat?" the servant offered again once more extending his old hand. Takaya had been very unwilling to relinquish the garment in the entranceway and now was no exception. The man seemed utterly shocked by the poor etiquette Takaya was showing, but he did not care. Helena was more important that manners.

Finally the little manservant left closing the screen behind him. Takaya let out a breath and was rather thankful that the room smelled nothing like Naoe. In fact it smelled remotely like aloes wood.

Unzipping his coat he let Helena out. The cat jumped gracefully from his arms to the floor. There she sat, all of her attention on him and not on the new environment she was in.

"You truly are very odd, you know that?"

"Meow." She rubbed up against his legs and he smiled reaching down and running his fingers along her back making her stretch.

He walked over to one of the cushions and sat down, cross-legged, and laid his coat next to him. "Hide under here, kay? And be quiet. I'll buy you a whole fish when we're done… promise."

"Meow! Meow!" She seemed to skip over to him and the coat and then she disappeared under the garment.

He sighed and put his hands in his lap. He was sure she would be fine and quiet; Helena was remarkably well behaved while Naoe, on the other hand, he was a totally different story.

He moved his hands from his lap to under his tights to help stop the shaking. His heart was fluttering like humming bird wings inside his chest making him feel light headed and dizzy.

What was wrong with him! It was just Naoe. Stupid fucking Naoe with his sick twisted love obsession and his 'I'm too perfect' complex and his chain smoking and his strong arms and chiseled chest and velvety lips and sexy eyes and… holy crap his teeth were chattering. Every part of him was shaking and twitching especially that part of him confined in his briefs. Then he heard footsteps coming from the screen directly in front of him.

And he forgot how to breathe.

In the span of two seconds, as that screen door slid open, Takaya lost all coherent function and thought. He forgot how to breath, how to blink, how to speak, how to think and most of all he forgot all about why he was angry with Naoe and why he had even come to see him on this school day when he should be in class. All that mattered in those two seconds it took Naoe to open the door was the fact that Takaya would get to see his face for the first time in three weeks.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

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* * *

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Chapter Four The Lady Hanairo

* * *

Nothing existed in that room but Naoe and Takaya. They just gazed at each other drinking in the site of one another. Takaya in his slightly rumpled school uniform and Naoe dressed impeccably in a pair of khaki slacks with a charcoal gray sweater. Thin, silver wire frames graced his nose giving him an even more sophisticated look.

For the span of eight seconds Takaya could not breathe. His heart had lodged itself in his throat and no air was moving. Finally some little voice in the back of his mind told him to react. And react he did, like a disgruntled child being left alone for too long.

"Since when do you wear glasses?"

Naoe blinked taken aback. He pulled the frames from his face and folded them nervously. He set them on the bookshelf by the door as he walked to the unoccupied cushion in front of the table.

"They are for reading."

Takaya snorted. "Ha… they make you look like a big dork."

Naoe cleared his throat as he sat down. "It's nice to see you too, Takaya."

"Yeah…" he drawled flicking at his napkin. His hands were still shaking and his stomach was full of butterflies. Damn Naoe looked good in those clothes. He had really only seen him in his expensive suites and silly Monk's get up. It was a nice change to see him dressed as a normal person for once. And those glasses… oh gods above they were sexy as all hell.

He felt the drool pooling in the corner of his mouth. He swallowed hard. Mercifully he had taken them off.

Naoe started fixing their tea. He even added a splash of milk just the way Takaya liked it. He pushed the cup over to him and poured himself one. Finally he said, "So, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Takaya spun his cup around in small circles on the table. He sighed inwardly. How to start? Sure he had questions about the woman, Hanairo, and yet he had also come to simply see Naoe. The man had avoided him like the plague for weeks and Takaya, though he loathed to admit it, was feeling lonely. All groping aside Naoe use to be his friend and he truly missed that.

"Takaya?"

_"Why haven't you come to see me in three weeks!" _Though it was a great question he only asked it in his mind. Before he could even say anything the screen door at his back opened up and a servant brought in a large bowl of rice along with some grilled salmon, seaweed salad, and pickled radish with some sweet dumplings for dessert.

Takaya's stomach rumbled.

Naoe nodded at the servant who left just as quickly as he appeared. "Please, help yourself. I had a feeling you'd be hungry, being so close to lunch."

"Thank you," he nodded filling his bowl with the treats before him.

Naoe ignored the food and instead sipped his tea. "So, why are you here?"

Takaya popped a bite of rice into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully the points of his chopsticks braced against his lower lip. He closed his eyes. _I have to have a reason to come and see you? Can't it be that I missed you?_ Of course he had a reason, a completely legitimate reason: Hanairo. But why did he always _need _a reason? That thought spurred his irritation towards their whole situation.

He suddenly felt the need to poke and jab at Naoe, break him down and make him feel small.

"Does a master need a reason to check up on his pet?"

Naoe's lips drew into a tight line as he gazed into the golden eyes of his lord. No words were spoken between them for several long antagonizing moments. Takaya felt guilt clawing at his stomach. He had been so excited to see Naoe and now he was just being an ass. Why? What was it about the power struggle between them that made him act like that? Why couldn't they just be civil?

He sighed and took a huge bite of salmon. Swallowing he said, "Look, Naoe… I've been or… well, erm… I had this, um…"

"Takaya?" he interrupted gazing at the boy. "_What_ is that noise?"

All of the hairs on the back of Takaya's neck stood on end as his ears finally opened to the sound. The ridiculously loud sound of purring.

"Stupid cat," he cursed.

"Cat?"

"Yes, well, I wasn't sure if you'd let me bring her in here so I hid her in my coat and…" he lifted the garment off of Helena who was stretched out and sleeping. The light disturbed the feline who opened her green eyes and yawned.

Naoe dropped his teacup.

The hot liquid sloshed all over the table spilling into the rice and running towards Takaya. A little spilled on Naoe's pants causing the man to grunt in pain while Takaya cursed and threw his napkin on the puddle. They both proceeded to mop it up with their napkins.

"Shit, Naoe what the…"

"That cat…" he asked his eyes wide and voice slightly breathy, "where did you find that cat…?"

"At school… and she sorta found me," he muttered relaxing again on the cushion having successfully stopped the flow of hot tea.

"Sort of found you…?" he repeated his body stiff over the table as he watched the feline stretch into a sitting position.

"Yeah, she followed me home from school last week. If you ever bothered to call me or see me you would know," he grumbled feeling slightly satisfied with his little after comment.

Naoe ignored the jab and leaned slightly to the left of the table holding out his hand. Helena stood and walked towards him brushing up against the outstretched digits. Naoe's fingers brushed the silken red collar and the tiny bell. He held it in his hand examining the name etched there.

"Helena…" he whispered as if he had seen a ghost.

"Naoe? What's the matter?" Takaya asked slightly concerned by the frazzled look on Naoe's face. Helena was just a cat, granted a very obedient and rather noisy cat, but a cat none the less… right?

"Naoe….?"

"It's nothing," he replied crisply pulling his hand away from the feline. He straightened and took two pieces of salmon from the table placing them in a bowl and then in front of Helena. The cat blinked up at him then daintily started eating.

"What do you mean it's nothing?" Takaya asked. "You just looked like you had seen a ghost. How can that be noth…?"

"Enough, Takaya." Naoe held up a hand and then poured himself a fresh cup of tea. "I told you that it was nothing… and it is. You still have not answered my original question."

Takaya gave him his best 'disobedient teenager look' and raised an eyebrow. "What question?"

"Why are you here? You made things fairly clear the last time I saw you."

Takaya flinched slightly as if struck. Naoe was gazing at him with those deep chocolate eyes of his waiting so patiently for an answer and yet he seemed just about as impatient as impatient could be.

He sighed to himself and watched as Naoe took small sips of his tea wordlessly waiting for the answer. "Who is Hanairo?" he asked suddenly staring at the man before him.

Naoe choked on his tea and started coughing his face turning slightly red. Takaya blinked wildly already to his knees as if to jump across the table and perform the Heimlich not that he knew exactly how or anything.

Naoe waved a hand as if to calm the teen as he tried clearing his throat. "Wrong… pipe…" he muttered coughing a bit more.

Takaya watched him like a hawk to make sure he could still breathe. Naoe was not easily surprised. Nothing, honestly, could rattle the man's control; well except Lord Kagetora. But somehow in the span of five minutes he had managed to startle him nearly to death and not just once but twice!

Naoe stopped coughing and placed the pad of his thumb against his eye to wipe away any tears that managed to leek out as he choked. He set his cup at the far corner of the table and took a deep breath. Drawing his gaze up to the teen before him he asked, "Who?"

"Hanairo."

He nodded and smirked slightly. "That's what I thought you said." He coughed once more the smirk still tugging at his lips.

"Why are you smiling," Takaya asked slightly annoyed. "Who was she?"

"Why do you ask?" he asked calming staring right into the eyes of the boy before him judging his reaction.

"What do you mean 'why do I ask'?"

"Exactly… why are you asking me who Hanairo is? Don't you remember?"

"No I don't fucking remember!" he shouted not liking the tone Naoe was using on him nor the way he was staring at him. "I saw this chick in school and she walked by me and I saw this fucking nasty image of a body and then… then I said the name Hanairo."

"Really?" he asked his tone not sounding surprised one tiny bit.

"Yes, really!" Takaya growled. Naoe was giving him this 'look' as if he were _better_ because he knew who Hanairo was. He really just wanted to punch that look right off his face.

"Huh," he said then went to try and pour himself one more cup of tea.

"Huh!" he croaked out his teeth clenched so hard he was sure his jaw would crack. Naoe's cool over this was really starting to irk him; then a little voice inside of him whispered: Minako.

His eyes widened and he slammed his fist into the table hard enough to make the china rattle. "Was Hanairo like Minako? Was she another one of my wives that you raped and then forced me to possess?" He was on his knees again yelling nearly at the top of his lungs and glaring into the eyes of the impassive man before him.

Naoe stared at him the picture of calm, but Takaya was sure he struck a nerve because he saw his eye twitch. Then he snorted and broke his gaze. "Hardly."

"Then who was she? If you defiled her, too, I'll…" he shook his fist in Naoe's face.

"She was your sister."

Takaya blinked slowly his mouth hanging open then fell back onto the cushion. Wide-eyed he gazed ahead and blinked once more. "M-my… w-wha…?"

"Your sister," he supplied calmly. "Uesugi Hanairo … Lady Hanairo Uesugi to be more precise."

The teen looked up at him mouth still agape and Naoe seemed to smile, but that smile did not grace his lips. Instead he stared into the amber liquid in the small china cup as if to remember the woman he deemed to be Lord Kagetora's sister.

"Hanairo…" Naoe breathed out his voice sounding oddly distant and sad.

Taking another deep breath he started into the tale of the Lady Uesugi.

"Do you know what Hanairo means, Takaya?"

"Blue," he supplied quickly.

"Light blue, actually… light blue flower." He glanced up at the ceiling and then back into his tea. "Hanairo was Lord Kenshin's only daughter and she was illegitimate. Unlike you, who was adopted, she truly was Lord Kenshin's daughter, but her mother was not his wife. You see Lord Kenshin like many of the lords and ladies of the time, was trapped into an arranged marriage and often sought the arms of other lovers. It just so happened that Hanairo's mother worked in the kitchens as a cook. I'm not sure exactly how they met, but Hanairo was the result."

"Apparently Lord Kenshin was very much in love with the woman and when his wife found out she was pregnant, she tried to banish her. Lord Kenshin would have none of it and kept his mistress under his protection. Once Hanairo was born he gave her his name and even gave her the name of Hanairo because she had light blue eyes. He was a devoted father and doted on her like any proud father would. I think, however, it put some estrangement between him and his wife."

"One day, when Lord Kenshin was away for a peace treaty agreement, his wife finally managed to banish his mistress. What exactly was said, I don't think anyone will ever know, but she was never heard from again. Hanairo was only three at the time. Lady Kenshin, I'm sure, would have tried to get ride of the girl, too, but Lord Kenshin returned sooner than expected and foiled her plans. When Lord Kenshin found his mistress gone and his daughter in tears he grew so angry he pretty much abolished their marriage. She still stayed there, Lady Kenshin, but as far as I knew they never spoke nor did they interact with each other unless absolutely necessary."

"Being that Hanairo was pretty much the reason for her loss of a husband, Lady Kenshin was unreasonably cruel to the girl. She was even campaigning to have her married off before the age of ten, which is not uncommon for Ladies of that era, but to men who were at least five times her age and also known for their cruelty. Though the matches would have brought about some peace between certain clans, Lord Kenshin loved his daughter too much to turn her into a chess piece. That and…"

Naoe paused and stared at Takaya who was drinking in his every word.

"That and what?" he asked. "What, Naoe, tell me."

He sighed and nodded. "Hanairo was _special._ To put it better, I guess she had special gifts that made her slightly crazy to the rest of the world. She was wild and rambunctious. She ran around without shoes and always kept her hair unbound. She dressed like a boy often and would escape the confines of the palace to roam the streets alone. Which was practically unheard of for a royal to do especially a girl. Things were different then and females were expected to behave a certain way. But she was just not like that. Sometimes if people she did not know or like touched her she would go into fits of terror and scream for hours. She barely slept and when she did it was not restful… she was disturbed on many levels because of this 'gift'."

Takaya was staring at him in slight horror and then nodded as if to continue the tale.

Naoe held up his hand and the orange flame of his possessor powers engulfed the limb. "Every living being on the planet has a fire like this one. Being a possessor lets us tap into this… essence… aura… and harness it's power. Most beings have no idea how to use their aura nor can they see it. It's something unique to possessors. When angered or happy or whatever other emotion we are our aura admits it. Hanairo could see auras. She could feel them like Haruie can and she could see them at times. This was something… _is_ something… unheard of being that she was a normal human. Granted her powers weren't that strong, but for a young child they were quite powerful. To sense people's emotions whether they meant her harm or not was like torture on her very young mind. Sometimes she could not touch people due to the nature of her gifts."

"Lord Kenshin tried his best to sooth his daughter's torment, but there was really nothing he could do except teach her to focus and squash down the parts of her powers that hurt her. As a result she did function more with some normalcy, but Lord Kenshin was still very unwilling to marry her off or even let her out of the castle afraid that she would go through a relapse of her childhood. Rumors spread about the Lady Hanairo Uesugi, who many suspected, could not leave the castle due to her extreme beauty."

"When I first became a member of the Uesugi clan I was the vassal of your brother. At that time she had just had her twelfth birthday. She was the picture of calm every time I met her. She did not smile or frown or laugh or raise her voice. Her control and focus were on a short leash and I don't think she dared do anything to break that leash. She adored her father, her champion, and always tried to please him even if it took away everything from her."

"A few months before her sixteenth birthday I saw her smile for the first time." He paused and started at Takaya then spoke never breaking his gaze with the puzzled golden one. "The first time she smiled was the first time she met you."

He gasped softly and blinked.

Naoe continued.

"You are just a few months older than her, five I do believe. At sixteen you were sent to the Uesugi as a 'son'."

"Hostage?" Takaya supplied a little disgusted.

"Yes," Naoe spoke slowly. "In essence you were a hostage, but Lord Kenshin never treated you as such nor did he think of you as that. He thought of you as a son. If he had not, he would not have given you his name so easily. He was not like the other clans."

"I know," he said then changed the subject uncomfortable with how it was making him feel. "So Hanairo smiled at me?"

"Yes," Naoe nodded. "You had just arrived through the front gates. I was standing at your brother's side and she was with her maids on the opposite side of Lord Kenshin. He welcomed you and gave you the name, Kagetora. That was when I saw her smile for the first time since I had met her."

"I think she saw something similar between the two of you. I'm not quite sure all I know is that she seemed to be your shadow and you seemed to be hers. By the time she was eighteen, however, Lord Kenshin was somehow convinced that she needed to be married. He thought he had chosen a suitable husband for her by the name of Tasusde Sorin. He was a fairly young lord who's castle lands were only about a day away; if you were ridding non stop and rather hard, that is."

"Though Hanairo was refusing the marriage Lord Kenshin chalked it up to nerves. Their marriage would be invaluable to the Uesugi clan. Lord Sorin's lands rested right on the border of the Hojo and Uesugi lands… practically right in the middle. This would give Lord Kenshin more land as well as some leverage against his enemy."

"Three days after they met they were married and a day after that Hanairo was whisked away never to set foot in her family's castle again."

Naoe took a deep drink of tea and glanced at Takaya who was literally on the edge of his seat. Naoe put his cup back on the table and started again.

"I'm not sure when _it _started exactly. Lord Kenshin was off in the fields of battle and you weren't far behind. The day before you left for the battle grounds you got a letter from Hanairo begging you to come and get her. At first it was just thought to be homesickness. You would receive several more letters all asking the same thing while you were on the battlefields. Until suddenly there were no letters for several weeks and she would not respond if you did send her a letter."

"Finally, five months into her marriage, you got one more letter that was the size of a yen. Scribbled in blood was the kanji for help. Something was terribly wrong in Tasusde's castle. Unable to go yourself you sent one of your best spies to go and steal her back since it was very unlikely that Lord Sorin would simply hand her over."

"The man you sent to bring her back was Yasuda Nagahide."

"Chiaki!" Takaya questioned obviously puzzled.

"Yes. You sent Nagahide from battle to go and get your sister. You instructed him to tell no one especially Lord Kenshin who would be overcome with guilt and worry over sending his beloved daughter to marry a mad man. I think that was when it started between them."

"What started?"

"They were lovers for quite some time."

Takaya seemed frazzled. "Chiaki and _my sister_!"

"Yes," Naoe said smoothly completely unfazed.

"Really!"

"Yes… now can I continue?"

Takaya nodded, but his eyes were still wide.

"So Nagahide went to bring Hanairo back. When he got there, though, he was shocked by what he found. Apparently Lord Sorin was beating her into submission. She was badly injured – one black eye, cuts and bruises all over her face and body along with a broken arm – when Nagahide stole her away and brought her back to the castle. But just outside the gates she died from massive internal bleeding."

"Lord Kenshin was grief stricken and not long after her death did he, too, die in battle. And being that we stole his wife back Lord Sorin abolished all peace ties with the Uesugi. His family later joined the Oda clan to become our enemy."

"When Lord Kenshin was creating the Neither World Uesugi Army and looking to start his clan of possessors he deemed it only fair, to make up for his misdeeds against her, to allow his daughter to become a possessor. Apparently he found her wondering around the grounds right outside the castle as a vengeful spirit. But once turned into a Neither World solider her powers increased tenfold. She could not only see aura's but she could now touch and control them as well as sense them from great distances. I have a feeling that she was the one who tracked and found all of our vengeful spirits in hell. Haurie being the first."

"In the four hundred years following her death Hanairo finally learned to control her powers and put them to some good use. She was indispensable to our team. That was when she and Nagahide were lovers."

Naoe thought he heard Takaya mumble "eww", but he could not be sure.

"However not long after Lord Kenshin's spirit was finally exorcised did…" he paused as if covering up some sort of pain.

"What, Naoe?"

"She finally died. For good."

"What!" Takaya asked his eyes wide once more. "But I…?"

"No. Whoever that girl was that made you think of Hanairo could _not _have been her. It's not possible."

"But… how do…"

"There are certain seals, chants, markings that possessors know, but the magic in them is so powerful, so dark, they are forbidden. Lord Sorin was also reincarnated because he so powerful and useful to the Oda army in the past. He was on a hunt for his wife to bring her back to his side permanently. Sixty years ago we had sensed his activity on one of our missions. In order to protect your sister you lied to her and made her stay safely hidden away. We were walking into a trap set by Oda, and we knew it. So did Hanairo, but she did not know we knew of the trap. Trying to warn us she came out of hiding and was kidnapped by Lord Sorin's men. She was taken back to her husband and brutally tortured."

Takaya gasped his chest suddenly feeling like someone was squeezing it.

"By the time we got to her it was too late. He had…"

"How?" he squeaked out his throat having closed on it's own. His hands were shaking so he stuffed them in his lap. "How did her body look?"

"Why?" Naoe asked startled by the question.

"Because I saw it. Was I right?"

Naoe nodded knowing what Takaya wanted to hear almost needed to hear. He glanced up at the ceiling again and closed his eyes, his throat working. "He had cut off her hands. She could stop your movements by simply touching you so I think that was the first thing he took from her. He cut off all of her hair, removed her eyes, he cut, rapped and beat every part of her body and…"he paused his eyes squeezing shut even tighter. "He marked her forehead with a seal."

He opened his eyes to see Takaya gazing at him, bottom lip pulled between white teeth. He could see the slight tremor in his body as some part of the boy's memories was excepting this and recalling it.

"This is how I know that it's not possible for her to be alive. Believe me when I say that I wish she were perhaps just as much as you, Takaya. I loved her. She was so beautiful and caring. I considered her to be my friend. I know Haruie feels the same and Nagahide… her death was one of the reasons there is an estrangement between you two. He seems to blame you for it. I… I have never seen him suffer so much. I think he keeps a tiny flicker of hope, but it's been crushed into nothingness now."

"What kind of seal?" he gulped out ignoring Naoe's rant about loving his sister.

"It sealed her soul to the underworld. It was a very powerful and evil seal. It not only sealed it to the underworld, but also into the darkest part of it. There is no way we can bring her back. Believe me, we've tried… but she's gone."

"G-gone…" Takaya whispered staring blankly at Naoe. Some part of him, a part of him he did not even know existed seemed to shrivel up and die. He had just been told he had a sister and now Naoe swore there's no way for them to meet again… ever? But that just wasn't possible!

"No! Naoe, no! She… I saw this girl… and she had blue eyes just like Hanairo and… _it was her_. I know it was!"

"Takaya," he chided softly. He shook his head and sighed placing his teacup on the table. "It wasn't." He paused for a moment staring at the boy before him. "I know you want to believe it was, but I swear to you it was not. Perhaps she looked like Hanairo and that is why you feel the way you do, but…"

"Naoe… are you completely sure? That girl at school today she… I felt the power of a possessor!"

"No, Takaya!" he yelled; this time his fist connected with the table and sent the china shaking. "It could _not_ have been. There is _no_ way! I saw and _remember _the body, the seal upon her forehead. No soul can return with that kind of seal. It was cast into the darkest part of hell… the most tormented… she's _gone_ and there is nothing we can do about it."

Takaya blinked and opened his mouth to say something when Naoe silenced him with a dark glare. "You have sealed off all of your memories, so you do not remember all that we did to try and bring her soul back. Or… how much all of us grieved… are still grieving."

A long, thick silenced settled between them. Takaya fidgeted in his seat. Naoe was right, he could not remember. He did not even know he had a sister until Naoe told him, but there was something in his heart telling him not to give up hope. That girl, Yakata Amiee did give off the power of a possessor he was sure of it. So maybe there was some fluke and she was Hanairo only her memories were sealed off like his. Or maybe someone had resurrected her somehow or maybe...

He paused in his musing to find Naoe assessing him. He felt a blush creep across his cheeks. Damn that man. Even in this serious moment he could still unnerve him. "What?" he snapped.

Naoe shook his ashy head. "Nothing." He stood suddenly making Takaya's heart speed up and his blush creep down his neck. Was he going to try something? But instead of walking towards the teen Naoe stepped towards the sliding screen door. He bowed deeply and pushed the door open slightly. "I'm afraid I have to leave you now. I have an appointment with a woman who is seeing the ghost of her dead husband. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like. I hope I answered your question?"

Takaya nodded a bit startled by Naoe's sudden departure.

"Good." He paused and picked up his glasses off the shelf. Slipping them onto his handsome face he gave him another little bow. "It was good to see you, Takaya. Take care of yourself and that cat." With that he disappeared before Takaya could protest and shut the door.

The teen blinked suddenly feeling very cold and lonely. He removed his eyes from the screen and drew them to his newfound pet. Helena was curled in a tight ball at the side of the table completely undisturbed by anything that went on between the two men.

Takaya sighed deeply and stroked her dark fur. The feline purred and stretched blinking up at him with bright green eyes. Grabbing his coat he stood. "C'mon, Helena, lets get out of here."

* * *

_A/N: Okay! Yay! Now you know... well, sorta. So I took a lot of "authors rights" with this chpt. As I said, I've never read the manga and am basing this off of the anime. I'm not sure how Kagetora and his brother were accepted by Lord Kenshin or what Lord Kenshin was like for that matter... or if he even had a wife! So I made it up. But, trust me, as "fluffy" as he seems from Naoe's discription, his daughter may know some things about him that will make him seem like more of a jerk. Haha! So... yeah... just take my fic for what it's worth, k?_

_Questions, comments, concerns? Please, please, PLEASE review. I love feedback and need it to grown in my writing. _

_Until next time... Ana_


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter Five: Running on Hope

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A thick billow of smoke curled out the car window's slight opening. It swirled against the glass like the caress of a lover then flittered away into the darkness reaching towards the stars. It left the glass feeling cold and abandoned.

Damn he was melodramatic.

He snorted - smirking inward - pressing the cigarette between his lips and inhaling deeply. Pulling it away he exhaled watching the smoke dance through the darkness of his car and out the window, the tiny winter breeze helping it to escape through the small space. Leaning his head against the headrest he glanced at the clock – twenty of one.

With a hefty sigh he rubbed his temple with his right hand, the cigarette still held gracefully between his fingers. _Damn… _What on earth was he doing here? It was almost one o'clock in the morning and he was sitting in his darkened car, catty corner to the Ohgi apartment, watching the window of a seventeen-year-old boy. He felt like not only a stalker, but a pervert as well. He doubted that the courts would believe him if he said that said seventeen-year-old was over four hundred years old so it was all right to "stalk" him.

He snorted again and took another drag. Blowing the smoke out he squashed the butt into the ashtray along with the other ten. He glanced at the clock again and sighed. Three minutes had passed. He had been sitting here now for more than two hours casually watching the window and smoking away almost all of his cigarettes. Maybe he should have brought a book?

Truly he was afraid he had gone insane or that he was driving himself insane. He honestly was not sitting here stalking his latest sexual obsession, far from it in fact. He had a hunch about that demon feline that was hanging around his lord and master and he wanted to make sure he was right before he went running his mouth about it.

So, in essence, he was stalking a cat.

He smiled some sort of twisted smile and leaned his head against the steering wheel. Not that he could watch the cat and not be forced to watch the man whom the feline resided with. For the first forty minutes of this sting operation he had watched, entranced, as the shadow of his lord had moved behind the sheer curtains covering the window. The first twenty minutes he had sat at his desk, doing homework presumably. Then he had left and went to take a shower and came back clad in nothing. The light through the curtain had cast itself upon the body of that boy so perfectly that it left nothing to the imagination.

That was about the point when he had tried to smoke two cigarettes at once.

Then, mercifully, his master had turned the light off and gone to bed. And that brought him to now; where he was reaching for another cigarette. He slipped the pack into his coat pocket and pulled the lighter from the same place. The golden flame illuminated the dark space of his car. Out of the corner of his eye, a green light caught his attention.

Whipping his gaze to the window he smirked. _I knew it._ The green light slithered through the curtains and then through the glass finally disappearing to reveal a black cat with white tipped ears and tail standing on the tiny window ledge, back arched. Her green eyes were glowing brighter than any normal cats should. She looked ready to jump off the ledge when, suddenly, her whole body was engulfed in green fire and she took off like a shot darting like lightning into the darkness.

"Damn!" he swore loudly whipping his car out of park and doing a huge U-e, tires screeching, and followed the green blur.

He sped through stop signs and traffic lights almost hitting a motorcyclist along the way, but he could have cared less. The feline was fast and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to keep his eyes on her and the road. Quickly, making a sharp right, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a seal. Holding it in front of his face he mouthed out a quick chant. The seal lit up and flew through his windshield following after the cat in a blaze of orange fire.

Fifteen minutes from the Ohgi residence he reached the downtown district. His seal was chasing the cat and helping to direct him, but once downtown he had to park and follow on foot. Running along the brick sidewalk on foot he found himself in the heart of downtown. There were several bars lining one side of the street along with young men and women milling about in front, smoking and chatting, staring at him like he was insane. _Perhaps I am…_

There were small shops – books, clothes, baked goods, art galleries – all closed up for the evening as well as some restaurants that were in the process of closing or had been closed for only a short time.

His lungs burned and his nose and fingers were frozen. He really was in no shape to run like this so late at night, in the bitter cold. His foot hit a slick patch of snow and he stumbled, loosing track of the seal for a moment. A moment too long he realized his heart sinking to his toes as the small piece of paper fluttered down to earth and landed in front of him.

It had lost the cat.

Panting he stared at it in disbelief and blinked up at the sky. "Fuck," he muttered to himself. He bent down and picked up the seal and crumpled it in his hand then stuffed it in his coat pocket. That demon feline was much faster than he thought if his tracking seal could not even keep up with her.

Kicking a clump of dirty snow he walked over to a rod-iron bench and sat down. The metal sent a sudden chill up his spine making him shiver, but he was undeterred as he pulled another cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

He really should have known better than to get his hopes up. She was dead, that poor gentle creature who he loved so dearly. She was so much like Kagetora and yet, at the same time, not. And unlike his lord she actually took the time to understand him. But the feelings he felt for her were always platonic. Sometimes he wished they were more, maybe things would be easier on his heart? _But c'est la vie_.

He snorted suddenly feeling very disgusted with himself and everyone. Why had that stupid feeling – hope – brought his expectations up again? That feeling was an evil feeling, he knew. Sometimes he _hoped_ he would die and end his hearts suffering, but that never happened. Sometimes he _hoped_ that Takaya was blushing at him, but that never happened. Sometimes he _hoped _that he wanted and loved him just as much, but that sure as hell never happened. And sometimes… just this once… he wished that hope had been right.

That she was alive.

But he was always wrong, always misreading the signs just like he did with her brother. _Fuck hope._

He took another drag and blew it out slowly. Watching the smoke in the air he closed his eyes. _Never again will I let myself believe. At least I never said anything to Takaya. I hate crushing that boy's fragile feelings._ It was true, he had to admit, and as much as he hurt the teen he really _hated_ doing so.

He really needed to get up and go home and go to bed. His ass was probably blue by now, but for some reason he could not make his legs work. So he just sat there watching the clouds move across the sky. It was going to snow again.

"Heh… still have that same old nasty habit, huh, Naoe?"

All the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he slowly turned to look at the woman who spoke to him. His eyes widened, the cigarette fell to the ground, and he stood slowly never breaking eye contact.

She was a young woman with lush curves and long legs. She smelled faintly like fish; actually more than faintly, she reeked of it. Her long dark hair was pulled into a harsh bun that was coming out at the sides. She wore a _happi_, a short kimono that fell and tied at her waist. It was navy and decorated with blue and white koi fish. Over that was a dark-gray coat that fell to mid thigh. She wore baggy black pants and black shoes; a white apron with two large pockets was around her slender waist. It was rather dirty covered in many undistinguishable spots. A knife roll was slung over one shoulder while a white cloth skullcap was held in the opposite hand.

She gave him a half smile, placing once delicate hand on her hip. "Hi."

He tried to speak, honestly he did, but no words came out of his mouth. His lips moved as if talking, but there was still nothing. His legs, however, carried him towards her; his dark eyes never left her light blue ones.

Finally he stopped right in front of her. The fish smell over powering his nose and yet it was the best smell in the world at that moment. Quickly he reached out and grabbed the backs of her arms pulling her towards him. He pressed his forehead against hers sharing her breath. It had the faint taste of peppermint, her favorite type of candy.

"H-Hanairo…" he finally breathed out pulling her closer, his hands clamping down unconsciously around the backs of her arms.

Something warm and fuzzy was brushing against his ankles wrapping a long tail around his shins. As much as he had just told hope to fuck off, he was glad it was still, somehow, alive.

His throat tightened and his eyes closed. "Hanairo," he repeated breathing in that fishy, peppermint sent of hers.

"Oh, Naoe, it's good to see you, too," she said softly her voice slightly emotional, but not nearly as much as his.

"Hanairo…" he said once again and pulled away from her to look into her eyes.

She grinned up at him and repeated slowly, "Naoe."

But that grin still remained on her face and then it broadened and there was a saucy little twinkle in her eye. And gods above he could not help himself. Straight faced he said, "Damn… you stink."

She laughed then, a joyous sound coming straight from her heart. And for the first time in four hundred and some odd years he suddenly felt at peace.

"I know, right? I hate how I smell when I come out of work, but Helena loves it!" She beamed up at him and then reached down pulling the dark feline into her arms. The cat purred as she brushed her face against the silken fur.

Drawing her blue eyes back up to him she asked, "Are you parked illegally?"

Blinking he said, "No. Why?"

She laughed. " 'Cause I can write you a parking voucher so you can park wherever you want. I do have that kind of power being the sous chef at _the Flying Fighter Fish_," she said with a huge grin.

"Is that where you work?"

"Oh, yes, sir!" She turned suddenly and started walking away; Helena cuddled into her arms. Calling over her shoulder she said, "C'mon, Naoe-kun, it's freezing out."

Hesitantly he took a step. "Where…?"

"My apartment, silly. I'm only a block away." She stuck her tongue out at him and continued walking. Naoe could do nothing but follow her. After all he had _a lot_ of questions and the comfort of her apartment would be better than the frozen streets of downtown.

* * *

_Stay tuned for Chapter 6 - Lovely Lady: Grieving Tears_

_Reviews? Anyone...? PLEASE! _


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter Six: Lovely Lady – Grieving Tears_**

* * *

Perched upon an over-stuffed blue sofa, legs crossed at the knee, goblet of red wine in hand, a purring ball of black fluff in his lap, Naoe sat staring off into the distance. The sounds of running water could be heard through the tiny apartment as he gazed out the window at the falling snow. It drifted gently to earth illuminated by the bright streetlights of downtown.

He took a sip of wine and tried to focus his scattered thoughts. Helena stretched as he petted her. His long fingers running down her spine to the point of her white tipped tail before drawing up again to the top of her head.

_Hanairo was alive._

The very thought sent jolts of pure joy through his soul.

But that thought also sent a million and one questions straight to his brain.

How was it she survived? Why had she avoided them for sixty some odd years? What had made her suddenly appear now after all this time? And why was she not showering faster?

Sighing he shifted his position, disturbing the feline on his lap. She blinked up at him and yawned. "Tell her to hurry up."

"Meow."

Sighing again he took another drink when he heard the shower turn off. A combination of relief and anxiety shot through him. He would finally have all the answers his question logged brain needed to know and yet it did not seem real. Why did he feel like he was walking through a dream and that any second now he would wake and Hanairo would still be dead?

He tapped his index finger impatiently against the bowl of his glass. His ears picked up the sounds of doors opening and closing as well as the faint rustle of material.

Finally she appeared walking elegantly into the room like the lady she was born to be. Her hair was slightly damp and wild, curling and twisting about her face like that of a lover. She wore a dress shirt – white – that fell to mid thigh. He could make out a pair of pale pink panties through the sheer material. She was barefoot and smelled strongly of lemons.

He watched her every move as she poured herself a glass of wine. Helena vacated her seat on his lap and prowled over to her master brushing up against her ankles and mewing.

A soft smile graced her lips as she pulled a can of tuna from the cupboard and opened it placing it on the floor for the feline. She stroked her dark fur, grabbed her glass, and walked over to him. Sending him a soft smile she made her way to the coffee table that was pulled out several feet from the couch. She took a sip, setting the glass down with a gentle clink. Finally she sat and folded her hands in front of her chest.

Drawing her eyes up to his she smirked. "So… ask."

He knew he let his face betray his momentary surprise. She was to calm and her composure unnerved him.

"How?"

"A tiny little line."

He blinked at her. She sighed drawing small circles with her finger on the smooth wood of the table. "One little line… he missed it. Without that line the seal was incomplete and he was unable to send me to hell like he wanted. One little line near the far corner… just above my eyebrow." She placed her finger there and rubbed.

Obviously she was not as apathetic about her near escape from eternal damnation as she led him to believe.

"When you guys were invading the grounds he must have started to panic and rushed through the seal missing that tiny line. And with the amount of blood caused from etching an evil seal on someone's forehead, he must not have noticed, some insignificant, little line," she said her voice laced with bitterness and anger.

She clenched her hands together fighting off the slight tremors coursing through her body. But he _saw_ and _knew_ that even though she was pretending to be indifferent to the brutal torture that took her life and nearly cast her soul into hell some sixty years ago, she was still dreadfully frightened.

"So my body died and I was able to repossess. But it took some time due to the weakness of my soul from… well, what happened," she said flippantly.

He scowled at her, annoyed by her attitude, and asked, "But why didn't you come back to us? We were so worried."

"Oh yes," she snorted, "I'm sure."

"We were," he snapped not liking her sarcastic tone.

A slight smirk crossed her lovely features. "I'm sure, I said. I can imagine how concerned you guys were, too."

He could not tell if she was mocking him or not. Her gaze and tone were too straight, too calm, and too neutral. Did she think they did not mourn her loss? If only she knew the truth.

She took a drink of wine and said, "I was not ready to come back. After what happened I needed some space – some time to think things through. I did not want to be a possessor anymore. I wanted to be free and not feel like I was being hunted. I wanted to leave all the clans, all the war and all the supernatural crap behind me. So… I traveled the world. I lived in Spain, France, England, and different parts of the Americas… India, Egypt, and Africa. I went all over."

She looked at him and smiled. "I got to cook. I learned so much. I never wanted to come back I was having such a good time! I mean… haven't you ever wanted to be free, Naoe? Free from all this bullshit. You wouldn't have to worry about possessors and evil chants and exorcisms and afterlife wars and stupid men who don't love you but won't let you go." She got his attention with that comment and he held her gaze. "Haven't you ever wanted that?"

"Yes," he murmured. It was true, too. Sometimes he did want to leave. Get away from all the people and all the things that were driving him insane. To finally, after four hundred years, live his own life – was that truly too much to ask?

Obviously Hanairo had the same desire to be _"free"_ as he did. She always did have more courage than any of the other members of the Uesugi clan. She even had more courage than her own brother.

"Then don't you see why I took the opportunity offered to me? That may have been the worst experience of my life, but… I turned it into something positive."

"But why didn't you contact us? You should have told us you were alive and ended our grief."

She paused and broke her gaze. "Yeah. Maybe. But I never wanted to come back."

"Then why did you?" he asked his tone harsh. "You, the most powerful aura tracker in the nether realm could have easily avoided us until the end of time. But you showed yourself to me. Why - if you never wanted to come back?"

She stared down at the beige carpet sighing deeply.

"Where you lonely?"

He saw her flinch and knew that he had found part of the reason. "Were you tired of your freedom?"

"No. Neither of those things." She drew those ice blue eyes back up to him and glared. "I did not grow tired of my freedom. And I am _not_ lonely. I was… concerned."

"Concerned?" he echoed.

"Yes, _concerned_. I may have been roaming the world, but I still kept track of what the hell was going on. I know what happened thirty years ago."

Naoe blanched all color draining from his face as she scrutinized him with her icy gaze. "H-how do you know about that?"

"I have my sources… and everytime you guys repossess I know. I can feel the shift in the spirit aura. I felt Minako's aura leave this plane and Kagetora was the one driving it out. But it wasn't my brother who powered that… it was _you_. Then I felt my brother's aura leave this world. I thought that for sure he was gone. I mourned his loss like no other."

"But well, last spring I was in France and felt this huge burst of energy. I knew it was my brother. I could sense his aura anywhere. I was so relieved I nearly fainted. I made arrangements not long after that to return to Japan. When I arrived near the end of summer I started to casually snoop around and see just what was going on with all the clans."

"That was when I heard the rumors that Lord Kagetora was back and that he had no memories of his former lives. Curious of this I came out of hiding to investigate. It was _very_ casual at first. I'd talk with lessor spirits… mostly dwellers and just see what they knew. Eventually I worked my way up to higher possessing spirits. That was how I learned _all_ I needed to know."

"I finally decided, right after you guys returned from Kyoto, to see if he remembered me. I walked past him on the street with some of his friends. There was no response other than him looking at me strangely. I think he felt something, but not what I wanted him to feel. Then," she snorted, "one of his stupid friends made a comment about him checking me out and wanting to fuck me. Yuck! That makes me want to vomit."

He could not hide his snicker and she smiled. "So I then sent him something to jog his memory."

"Helena."

"Yes. I wanted to see if he would remember who she was and her owner. I think he knows she's familiar but not why."

"And you saw him in school, too, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. When Helena was not provoking the memories that I wanted him to have, I went myself. That surly did the trick. I'm quite sure he felt my aura even outside the school 'cause he came in real guarded. I then walked past him and he flipped. He even said my name."

"Yes, he told me. He saw your body and called out your name."

She nodded. "I didn't want him to remember that, but I'm not able to control what parts of his memories about me come back. I wanted him to remember when we first met or horseback riding. Going to festivals, skipping our daily lessons, sneaking down into the kitchen to cook us late night snacks, those were the things I wanted him to remember. _Not that_… not what happened all those years ago…" Her voice drifted as she gazed out the window at the falling snow.

He sighed to himself and smiled softly at her. In his wildest dreams he never thought they would meet again. And yet, by some twist of fate she was able to survive that nightmarish incident and return to the clan.

Their paths crossed and connected much like they did four-hundred years ago when she was askinny, frightened child and he was very young, naïve and softhearted; he just wanted to make her smile.

_She was all legs then, like a newborn colt not sure of it's footing. Skinny with wild hair and huge blue eyes that consumed her face she was hardly what one would call beautiful. _

_He was not 'in love' with her per say, but he certainly did love her. Being an Uesugi servant meant loving and protecting every member of the clan._

_All of the servants knew the gossip about her and how she could judge a person's character by simple contact or how she could see and feel one's misdeeds by even the most basic of touches. But they never seemed to take that into account when they called her "cold", "heartless", "emotionless", "difficult", and "a bitch"._

_He was never able to see those things, however._

_He pitied her. _

_To be so young and so tormented it just was not right. Fate had dealt her a terrible hand and she was trying to survive. So he went out of his way to be kind to her even if their paths hardly crossed._

_One day though, just before her twelfth birthday he saw her strolling in the gardens, as she often liked to do. _

"_My lady," he bowed respectfully._

_She bowed at him in turn, but did not speak just stared at him with those haunted eyes. So blue and cold like a frozen pond; so full of life underneath its ice. _

_He could not think of anything to say to her. He figured he could talk of the weather or the upcoming fall festival or even her birthday. But he figured they would all sound ridiculous coming from him a near stranger to her even if he had sworn to give his life to not only her, but also any member of her family._

_She bowed again and turned to continue her walk._

_"Wait, M'lady…"_

_She paused and stared at him over her shoulder. He could see the torrent of emotions beating at the thin lay of ice in her eyes. His heart reached out to her. "May I accompany you on your stroll?"_

_There was a slight nod of her head as she continued walking and he fell into step along side of her. "I've heard your mother was a great cook."_

_She stopped and blinked at him. "Pardon?"_

_"Well, everyone knows about Lord Kenshin and your mother…" Perhaps this was not the best choice of topic, he thought to himself. Why did I even bring it up!_

_"Yes, she was," she said curtly and started walking again. "She use to make me sweets all the time."_

_He could not help but notice that her voice was oddly wispy and she suddenly seemed happy. Some strange ray of hope filled his chest. Smiling he reached into the small leather satchel hanging on his belt. "Try this, M'lady. You might like it." From it he pulled out a tiny gold tin. Popping open the box he removed one piece of powder covered sugar._

_She held up her hand and he dropped the shard into her palm. She examined it closely and then popped the treat into her mouth. _

_He knew when her eyes widened in delight, that a strong peppermint-sweetness was hitting her. "This is… delicious."_

_He nodded as the corners of her mouth kicked up. She was about to smile; he could feel it. But before she did she must have realized and quickly excused herself. "Thank you for the candy. I must be going." At that she departed. _

_He never did coax that smile out of her in that life. In the next she smiled and laughed all the time having a greater understanding of her powers and how to control them. He did, however, give her a new love of peppermint. _

_It was a happy memory amongst the many sad ones that tied them together. _

He gazed at her. "I'm glad you have come back, Hanairo," he said softly raising his glass and downing the final contents. He set the cup on the table with a soft clink.

"Yeah…" she whispered laying her head against her arm. Her hair fell against the limb and pooled on the table like spilt ink.

She always chose beautiful bodies, he noted. Young and innocent with dark hair much like how she had looked four hundred years ago. She looked like a goddess and yet – his eyes wondered to her slender fingers tapping against the base of her wineglass. The short, broken nails and the healing cuts and gnarled scars and burns made her look more human.

"I'm guessing you still have not _had_ my brother?"

Slightly startled he shook his head. "No. He denies me."

She tipped her head, gazing at him with sultry eyes through the slight veil of her hair. "Prude. He always has been and he always will be."

He opened his mouth to say something when she slowly stood. Her shirt slipped down to reveal one creamy shoulder. "So why don't you go ahead and try for another Uesugi family member. I promise you can be as sadistic as you want."

"Hanairo…"

Slowly she walked around the coffee table and filled the large gap between them. "You can tie me up, if you like. Whip me… sodomize me… whatever you want. I promise I'll be better than my brother."

His body reacted all on it's own from her breathy words; the mental images danced in his brain like sugar plum fairies. His blood started humming through his veins causing him to feel dizzy and lightheaded. But this was wrong and he knew it. Why was she throwing herself at him? They had always had a sibling type of relationship. He found her beautiful, of course, but in a more unearthly creature way.

"Hanairo… stop this. Why are you…"

"C'mon, Naoe-kun… you know you want me. I understand you. I know your needs and your wants. I'm willing to satisfy them all."

She stood above him, their knees touching. She tipped her head, cocked her hip then smirked, licking her lips. His blood thundered in his ears blocking out all sound besides the faint rustling of her body.

Slowly she leaned down, bracing her hands on his thighs and gazed into his eyes her face scant inches from his own. "I know you better than he does, right, Nobutsuna?" she whispered.

He could taste the wine on her breath as she leaned forward, her lips parted ever so slightly. His head still sounded like white noise as he felt her fingers creep against his inner thigh.

"Won't you kiss me?" she murmured in the whiniest tone he had ever heard her use. Her fingers finally made contact with his groin sending jolts of alarm into his foggy brain. But he could not push her away. She had him trapped, pinned against the cushions of the sofa.

She breathed against his mouth again and exhaled deeply. "Hopeless." She pulled away from him and straightened breaking all contact. Naoe finally felt as if he move, and breathe for that matter.

"You are so ridiculously hopeless, Nobutsuna Naoe. Here I am offering you a way to get back at my brother more than that stupid Minako woman and you… you won't even take it!"

Blinking he asked, "What? Hanairo why would you want to…"

"Gods!" she shouted throwing her hands in the air. Suddenly she straddled his lap her hands on his face, her knees digging into his hips painfully. She pulled his face close to her own and gazed into his golden eyes. "Don't you want to fuck me, Naoe-kun? You'd finally have an Uesugi. It would be so good, you know? This body is still a virgin. C'mon… don't you want too?" She licked his cheek and rolled her hips trying to entice him.

"Hanairo…" he grabbed her waist trying to push her away when his body suddenly froze. "Release me," he ordered.

"No. Not until you help me hurt him."

"Why would you, of all people, want to do that to Lord Kagetora. He is your brother. You love him."

"I'd really like to know how _you_ define all of that. You have the most fucked up sense of love of anyone I've ever met. I don't need you to get on a soapbox and start preaching to me about causing him pain when all you've ever done is hurt him because you _'love'_ him. I think I am allowed to do so at least once in this lifetime. Especially after what he did to me."

"Lord Kagetora never did anything to wrong you."

A long, thick silence suddenly settled between them. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, her whole face darkening. "He never did anything to me?" she murmured. Slowly she slid off his lap and stood, gazing down at him with murderous intent. "Never did anything to me."

Leaning forward she placed her hand on his chest. "He…" she paused and Naoe let out a startled gasp his heart constricting in his chest as if being squeezed.

"LEFT ME TO _DIE_!" she screamed at the top of her lungs clenching her fist against his chest.

His eyes widened as he lost all ability to breathe. Gasping for air he gripped her wrist digging his fingers into it. Her own twitched as she suddenly relaxed her fist and jumped away from him. Violently he sucked in air clenching his chest and doubling over.

His eyes focused on her fire engine red toenails as he brought his breathing back under control. Slowly he sat up and gazed into her eyes. There was no remorse for her actions.

On shaky legs he stood then backhanded her with all his might.

She fell to the ground in a heap. "Naoe!" she shrieked clutching her cheek eyes brimming with tears.

"How _dare_ you say that _he_ left you to die!" Quickly he grabbed her arm and hurled her to her feet. Shaking her he said, "We tried to get to you! We were all bloody and beaten by the time we finally reached you and… when we did… Lord Kagetora let out such a huge burst of energy that he leveled the building."

She blinked, wide-eyed, up at him.

"Nagahide killed himself right then and there. He took a sword to his heart. He did not repossess for twenty years after that. Haruie was hysterical. Crying so hard, she clawed at her face putting deep scars on it. And Lord Kagetora… he cut off all of his hair and one of his hands. He then worked tirelessly for hours to bring your soul back. It's not an easy task, if you remember, and died two days later. He repossessed eight times and killed all of those bodies just trying to bring you back. Finally he had to give up. We all did. And to think as we suffered in our grief you were alive the whole time gallivanting around the world just because you wanted 'your own life'. _You selfish little bitch!_"

He shook her again and harder this time making her teeth rattle. "I don't ever, _ever_, want to hear you say that Lord Kagetora just left you to die." He grabbed her face roughly and gazed into her eyes. "Or I will kill you."

Nodding in agreement, she started to cry. "I… I had… no…" she sobbed.

Quickly he pulled her into his arms cradling her like a child. He felt her tears soak through his sweater. Her small scarred fingers pawing at handfuls of the lien. He held her and let her cry, one arm on the small of her back the other behind her head.

"N-Naoe-kun… I'm s-sorry…" she sobbed burying her face deeper into the folds of his sweater. Suddenly she pushed away from him wiping furiously at her eyes and nose with the back of her hand. "Call Haruie." She started walking towards the bedroom. "Tell her to meet you at your home by one o'clock tomorrow afternoon." At that she disappeared.

He gazed after her and shook his head reaching into his pocket for his cell phone to do her bidding.

She returned several minutes later wearing a pair of dark jeans and a heavy green sweatshirt over her blouse. There was a gym bag slung over her shoulder as well as a pillow in her hand.

"Where are you going?" he asked blinking down at her choice of socks – lime green with cartoon, magenta, lobsters.

"Did you do as I asked?" she demanded in her most commanding tone.

Locking eyes with her he nodded. "Yes."

"Good," she smiled. "And we're having a sleep over."

She walked to the door and slipped on her coat, scarf and hat. She then grabbed her knife roll and put on her chef shoes. She handed him his coat then "whispered" for her cat.

Helena crawled out of her cat-house and stalked over to her brushing up against his ankles as she did so. She handed him her pillow and he blinked down at the sultry, angst ridden eyes of one _Sasuke Uchiha_, as she pulled the feline into her arms.

"Shall we," he suddenly said stepping past her, Sasuke tucked securely under his arm, and opening the door.

She smiled up at him, her eyes still watery, and nodded. "Yes, please." Suddenly she grabbed the sleeve of his coat and tugged. "_Thank you_," she breathed and then went out the door.

"You're welcome, my lady."

* * *

A/N: Now… a few words from our author! Wow… it's been awhile. A lot has been going on that has made me have to put this thing on the back burner. But don't worry… she's not abandoned. 

Um… about the lil flash back. I didn't want it to sound, er, pedophile-ish. I really hope it doesn't. She's 11 almost 12 and I'm making Naoe about, erm, I dunno… 15 or 16. He's young and naïve. I have _no clue_ as to when he started working with the Uesugi if he started at birth or what. I just wanted him to feel sorry for her. To want to try and help her in a brotherly sorta way. I hope that came across.

This chpt was difficult for me to write because it was _so_ emotional. I can sit there for hours playing with words to try and figure out which one makes it sound _even more_ emotional. I really hope you all enjoyed it and Hanairo since this really was where you are introduced to her. But don't judge her by your first impression. She's kind of a little whacked in the head in this chpt. Hahaha! It'll get better, I swear.

Moving right along I figured out that there will be 21 chpts + an Epilog. Damn that's a lot, I know, but lets pray it is worth it. Haha!

Feed back ALWAYS wanted and appreciated. I'm ½ way through chpt 7 so hopefully that will be out soon, too.

Ana

* * *

Next Chapter: Seven - Hello Brother...

Next Chapter: Chapter Seven – Hello Brother…


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven: Hello Brother…**_

* * *

He awoke to the bright sunlight streaming in through the sheer curtains. Groaning he snuggled deeper into his nest of blankets about to roll over and fall asleep again when he realized two things: his alarm clock had not gone off and Helena was missing.

Bolting upright in bed, eyes bleary and full of sleepers, he searched his room for the feline who was nowhere to be found. "Helena," he called hoping she would come out of hiding, but there was nothing.

Glancing at his clock – 9:41am – the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He was late for school, very late in fact and he was simply sitting in bed in his underpants.

Cursing he flipped back the covers about to vacate the bed when he saw the note on the night table next to his clock.

_Takaya… It's a snow day! Aren't you excited? I turned off your alarm so you could sleep. I went to Yumi's house for the day. There's breakfast in the fridge. I'll see you tonight! Love, Me_

Smiling to himself he walked to the window and pulled back the shades. The sun bounced off the brilliant white snow momentarily blinding him. His vision came back into focus as he gazed in childlike wonder at the winter wonderland before him. Every building, every tree, every sidewalk, every car was covered in a thick blanket of white. Snow plows ground against the street digging up the snow so that traffic could once again flow freely.

Tearing his gaze from the window he called for his cat again. "Helena…"

Still there was no sign of her.

After having the feline his constant shadow and companion for almost a week now he felt suddenly lost without her. Where had she gone? Had she slipped out the door this morning behind Miya? _No_, he mused, _she would have noticed Helena leaving. _

Yawning he pulled a gray sweatshirt over his bare skin. "Helena… psst… Helena!" Once again there was nothing.

Slightly bewildered by her absence he padded into the bathroom to brush his teeth and relieve himself. But not before he checked the tub, behind the toilet, and the laundry basket as well as the linen closet for his cat.

Toothbrush in mouth he wondered the small apartment keeping his eyes peeled for the feline. Standing in the kitchen he surveyed the area. _Where has she gone?_ Turning his eyes from the living room he spit in the kitchen sink. Tipping his head he drank from the faucet when, suddenly, a bright green flash filled the room.

He nearly drowned.

Coughing he ran around the counter and blinked, mouth agape. "H-Helena…?" he breathed.

His cat purred loudly within the receding spiritual flames. She walked gracefully towards him brushing up against his ankles - the flames now a figment of his over active imagination.

She uncurled herself from his legs and made a beeline straight for her food dish undeterred by her master's bewildered looks.

"What the hell are you?!" he yelled his voice cracking in the process. Yes, granted he had seen a lot of crazy stuff this past year, but it all involved people. _This_ was a _cat_! No house cat should be able to have the spiritual flames of a processor; no cat at all, for that matter, should have them.

Helena's green eyes blinked up at him then at her empty dish.

"No way! I'm not feeding you till I get some answers!" Blinking more at himself than at her he smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh fuck, once again I'm talking to a cat."

"Meow?"

Sighing he turned to the refrigerator. He felt deflated. He really did not need to deal with more "supernatural crap" especially when it involved a cat and not a person. Maybe she was a person at one point? _Or maybe… um… yeah, I've got nothin'._

Sighing once more he dumped a can of _Fancy Feast_ into her dish. She ate eagerly. He glared. He was half tempted to touch her just to make sure she was real. He was also half-tempted to pinch himself so that he would wake from whatever dream land he was in. A cat with green spiritual flames – ridiculous. He opted to go back to bed instead.

Trudging back to his room he flopped onto his bed covering his eyes with his arm. _How is it possible? I've seen enough of this shit to be jaded by it, but, damn, she's a _cat_! Cats aren't possessors. Obviously I need to sleep more. Yes, that's it… I'm overstressed and sleep deprived. This whole thing is a hallucination._

After having mentally talked himself out of a panic attack, Takaya let out a sigh of relief. Truly he was not as crazy as he was making himself out to be – right?

"Meow."

He felt her hop on the bed then walk towards him. She crawled onto his chest and started purring. Her whiskers tickled his arm as he removed it from his eyes.

Their gazes locked.

She started glowing a bright green.

Takaya barely had time to scream.

* * *

He woke with a start in the middle of a room he knew he had been in before. Rolling over from his stomach, he pulled himself to his feet. Blinking wildly at his surroundings he tried to recall exactly how he had ended up in Naoe's living room.

A quick jolt of fear, anticipation and lust shot through him making him panic.

Damnit, how did he get here? And why didn't he have pants on? A million thoughts raced through his head, but only one seemed to ring true. Helena had somehow transported him here. How, when, why… more importantly _how?_

He scratched his head and sighed deeply. _Just dandy. I'm magically transported to Naoe's house and with only my underwear and sweatshirt. My life sucks._ Grumbling he walked to the far screen and slid it open slowly. The hallway was deserted and he thanked whatever celestial being was up there.

Cautiously he walked down the hallway hoping to find some form of life; preferably not Naoe at least until he found some pants. Then he could find Naoe and have the man explain to him just exactly how he ended up here. But what of Helena, where had the feline gone?

He was not sure of anything at the moment. He needed – wanted – answers and he wanted them now, damnit. Except a heavenly smell was tickling his nose. Obviously he was headed towards the kitchens.

The smell became stronger as he stared at the kitchen door. It was beige with a small, round window at the top; it was hinged so that it swung in both directions – in and out. A quaint dining room was to his left with a small table, cozy cushions, several plants and a large window that allowed the winter sun to pour in. The table, however, was only set for two. Was Naoe expecting him or was he expecting someone else?

That though sent his stomach straight to his toes.

How dare Naoe be with someone else! He belonged to _him. _Regardless of their twisted relationship, Naoe was his and his alone. It disturbed him on many levels to think that he was with some woman or maybe it was another man? Jealousy and panic clawed at his insides and fueled him on his search.

Then he heard the singing – female singing. Anger shot through him like white, hot lightening. He wanted to throw the door open and scream and yell then kill Naoe. But he did none of those things. Instead he cautiously pushed on the door and froze.

She was lithe and petite with raven hair that fell to her shoulders. It was slightly wavy and tousled with sleep. She wore nothing but a dress shirt. She swayed to the music in her head, singing out loud. Her hips rocked and her feet moved as her hands chopped, flipped and mixed breakfast.

The coffeepot dinged and she literally skipped over to it to shut it off. Turning like a ballerina on some very brightly colored socks, she spotted him.

His stomach plummeted to his feet. "Yakata Amiee…" he breathed out.

She gazed at him with those ice blue eyes and a small smile played across her lush lips. He was frozen in place too shocked by her presence to move. She crossed the space of the kitchen and stood in front of him.

That knowing smile stayed on her lips as she grabbed the fabric of his shirt, digging her fingers into his wrist. He lost all ability to move and breathe. Frozen by a power other than shock he tried to draw away from her. Instead she laughed pressing herself up against him.

She stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear. "Hello… brother… it's been awhile."

He gasped staring into her eyes; his own huge with surprise. "H-Hanairo?"

She smiled, truly smiled some sort of wicked smile, and nodded. "Yes."

Suddenly another timer went off and she jumped back, releasing any hold she held on him. Once more he felt like he could move. Quickly she ran to the oven and pulled out a pan of fish. Grinning at the fish she turned to him. "I almost burned it! That would have sucked. Breakfast would have been ruined; and this is your favorite!"

Placing the tray on the stovetop she gave the fish a poke testing for doneness. Turning she skipped back over to him causing him to jump back and hit the door. It swung open; he lost his footing and fell flat on his back in the doorway.

Groaning he blinked up at the figure looming over him. "Good morning, Takaya."

How Naoe was unfazed by his master lying in the middle of the kitchen doorway in nothing but his underwear and a sweatshirt, he would never know. But the older possessor simply held out his hand and helped him to his feet. He then stepped by him, brushing against him ever so slightly; Takaya could not resist a shiver.

"Hanairo," Naoe said with nod as he headed for the coffee.

"Naoe-kun!" she yelled. "Don't! I'll serve you in the dinning room."

The older possessor sighed and stepped away from the coffee. His gaze longing. "As you wish." He turned and headed for the door.

"You too, brother! I've made all your favorites." She grinned at him and tried to push him out the door.

Blinking wildly, started by how casual the pair was being about, well, everything, Takaya's temper erupted. "I'm _not_ your brother!" he shouted planting his feet on the floor.

Instead of looking surprised by his outburst or even upset the crazy girl – he was sure she was crazy – smiled at him. "_Phish_…" she waved her hands at him, which grated his nerves even more. "Don't say such silly things, Kagetora. It makes you sound crazy." She crossed her eyes and made small circles at her temple with her index finger.

Takaya saw and turned red. He raised his hand about to bring down all the wrath of _Bishamonten _on her head when Naoe grabbed his elbow and squeezed. Struggling, tiger-eyes flashing, he growled. "Release me!"

"Takaya, Hanairo has spent hours making you breakfast. Come sit down and we'll talk."

"No! I want…"

"Sweet fried eggs?" the crazy girl chirped, beaming at him.

Blinking he yelled, "No! I want some…"

"Baked snapper?"

"_No_, damnit! I want you to stop interrupting me!"

Smiling she nodded. "Okay!" Turning on her lime green socks, magenta lobsters grinning at him, she began putting breakfast into bowls.

Startled Takaya could only blink. He heard Naoe chuckle softly at his right as he released his elbow. He shot him a nasty glare and the man quieted, but only slightly.

"It's nice, by the way, Kagetora, that you're still your prickly, surly self – even if you don't have your memories."

Suddenly he felt the need to hurt her. "Naoe said you were dead!"

Unfortunately it did not work. She turned suddenly and lunged at him wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "Not at all, obviously. But I've missed you _so_ much, Kagetora… my dear brother. Even though you don't remember, I know you've missed me also or you would not be so frazzled."

She smiled up at him and something in his chest tightened.

He resisted the strange urge to wrap his arms around her small frame, but just barely. Thankfully she pulled away and returned to her stove.

"Go sit down, both of you. I'll bring breakfast out in a sec," she said happily finishing a few last minute things on the meal.

Takaya blinked. Part of him wanted to reach out and touch her and give her that hug. But it was ludicrous to feel so strongly for someone he had never met before – right?

Naoe touched his sleeve then and pushed the door open. "Come… let's sit down."

Nodding he followed him out the door. Naoe knelt at the set table and Takaya followed suite. Part of him was extremely pleased by the fact that the table had been set for him. He no longer wanted to murder Naoe just lightly maim him for not telling him about Hanairo.

"Naoe why…"

"Meow."

Takaya could not suppress the slight jump of his body as the feline walked into the room and over to Naoe. The man chuckled rubbing under her chin as she crawled into his lap. "Don't worry, Takaya, she won't transport you anywhere again."

"Y-yes… how did she…?"

The kitchen door swung open and Hanairo appeared carrying a try laden with food. She set the tray on the table and glared at her cat. "Helena, leave Naoe alone," she passed him a mug of black coffee. "He needs to eat his breakfast."

The cat meowed up at her in a tone that could best be described as a whine.

"I don't care," she waved her hand, "move."

The feline did as asked, but grudgingly. She then made her way to Takaya. Instead of crawling into his lap, however, she sat politely at his side. Takaya could only blink.

"Silly," Hanairo muttered setting a cup of tea in front of Takaya.

The teen blinked into the cup and she grinned at him. "There's milk in there just the way you like."

"How do you know how I take my tea?"

Hanairo knelt like a queen and placed bowls of rice, sweet fried omelet with scallions, grilled snapper, miso soup, and _natto_ – fermented soybeans – on the table.

"Because," she said finally settling with a cup of heavily creamed coffee in front of her. "You always took your tea with milk. Why wouldn't I remember that? Just because you're in this body does not mean you don't have the same tastes." Gesturing towards the breakfast she smiled. "Such as all of this stuff is your favorite. I hope you enjoy it."

Takaya stared at her, puzzled. This woman was claiming that she was his sister. Yes, deep down he felt some connection to her, but she was a stranger. He knew nothing about her except that she had a cat. How could he claim her as his sister if he did not know her?

"Naoe said you were dead," he asked his tone guarded.

The man in question glanced at him over his coffee mug. "I did say that, but I was wrong." He looked at Hanairo who smiled softly. "Tell him what happened."

With a slight nod of her head she did as asked. She told him how she had survived the ordeal from sixty years ago and why she did not contact them along with her travels and need to return once more to Japan. She also explained how she let Naoe find her, but left out the revenge seeking.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew who Helena was, Naoe?" the teen asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Naoe took a sip of his coffee and a bite of rice. "Because what if I was wrong? What if the cat was around but not her master? Then you would have gotten your hopes up and I would have crushed them. You probably would have been angry with me for weeks."

"I would not!" he grumbled pouting. Of course he saw Naoe's point. As freaked out by her presence as he was, something about her soothed him. That feeling startled him seeing as though she was a stranger.

They ate in silence for a few minutes lost in their own thoughts before Takaya asked, "How did I get here, by the way?"

Hanairo laughed. Takaya was not sure why, but he truly enjoyed the sound; it was soft and light and full of joy. Part of him felt that she should laugh all the time. He remembered what Naoe had told him that four hundred years ago she was not allowed to laugh or she would loose the tight grip on her self-control and "powers".

"Oh that," she giggled pulling the feline into her lap. She held up the sleek animal holding out her right front paw. There, tattooed on the pink pad, Takaya noticed a circle with four interlocking lines in the center. "This is a demonic seal. Father placed it there right after he and I became possessors. He wanted Helena to be with me always. This mark makes her a demon of sorts. She's immortal, travels in, well, what we would call 'possessor flames', and she can transport herself or others from one place to another. And she can do a bit more… all because she's a smart kitty, yes she is!" she cooed rubbing noses with the cat.

Helena purred. Takaya resisted the urge to throw up and Naoe's eyebrow twitched. But on that note the older possessor set down his empty plate and coffee and said, "Breakfast was delicious, Hanairo. I've missed your cooking."

"Thanks, Naoe-kun," she beamed.

The pet name severely annoyed Takaya.

"You have to head to the office soon, right, Naoe-kun?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I would be happy to take you to work. I will also take you home, Takaya. It is on the way."

"Yeah. Okay," he grumbled, finishing his breakfast. He did not like that they had already discussed plans with each other without his knowledge.

"You will be back in time for Haruie, right, Naoe-kun?"

"Haruie's coming in?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yes. Hanairo had me call her in last night. She should be here around one."

Now he really did not like this. How dare she order his men about! She might have rank, but definitely not position. Brooding he was about to say something when she turned and looked at him those blue eyes searching his soul.

"Don't think like that, Kagetora."

"Like what?" he snapped.

"Like you are. I just wanted us all to be together. Nagahide is on the move and I'm sure will be here sometime today as well. I want us all to go out to dinner. I've got the perfect place, too. You have to wear something nice, kay?"

He glared at her slightly.

"Say it's okay," she said casually, but he could hear the request for permission in her tone.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. I don't care."

"Yes!" she smiled at the pair and enthusiastically took a bite of snapper. "This is _so_ great! You'll love this restaurant. It's a dinning experience! It's got great food, great service, it's elegant and ritzy… oh I can't wait! So be sure you wear a suite and tie – it's one of _those _places."

"One of those places…?" he repeated, puzzled.

"Yes!" she clapped her hands together – chopsticks braced in her palms – and smiled. "It'll be wonderful. Now you guys need to finish your breakfast and make sure you don't eat anything else until dinner. Unless it's something light 'cause you really need to save room for dinner."

Puzzled yet again Takaya did as asked. He had to admit it really was quite good and all the foods were his favorites.

* * *

_Author's Note:_ Well…_ finally _another chpt done and outta the way. Yay! I also apologize for being so slow w/ this update. My job keeps me quite busy around the holidays. Thankfully my job is slow until Valentines, so I hope to write a lot before then.

I know this chpt is somewhat short and not very detailed, but I wanted them to meet in a very casual way and I did not want to draw it out that much either. I also wanted Haruie to finally come into the story, but I got lazy and wanted to work on chpt 8. She'll arrive – finally – 2 chpts from now. Chpt 8 makes me happy; Nagahide arrives! It shouldn't be that long of a chpt either, but I'm hoping to bump the rating up in chpt 9. Yay! But, alas, it won't be Takaya and Naoe just yet. I can't just let the pair have at it. Well I _could_, but what's the fun in that?

Also… I know Takaya seems a bit OC in this chpt. But, my thought was he's no longer phased by ppl as possessors, but a cat? He was truly freaked out. And he is still a 17yr old boy so I thought him to be huffy, sarcastic and in big denial. I hope he came across okay. I kinda liked how he turned out, myself.

Finally… thank you SO much for everyone who reviewed my fic. If you left an email to reply to I probably did so, but I wanted to thank those anonymous ppl, too. Carla who's been there replying through most chpts. I love that! Mikka – I try to portray the chars as best I can. I'm glad I'm succeeding. I'm trying to make them more human, too. Laura17 and Sarah I'm writing as fast as I can. Haha! Thanks for reading, everyone!! . Ana

* * *

Next Chapter: _Memories of a Lover…_

"She was like a toxin in my blood..."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight: Memories of a Lover**_

* * *

The train sped through the winter wonderland carrying with it one worried Possessor. He sat in a window seat, one arm braced against the small ledge as he brooded out the window. He wore a pair of jeans, white button down shirt and a heavy, navy sweater. A red scarf and dark gloves were casually discarded on the seat next to him; a faded, olive, messenger bag completed his look. 

He sighed, pushed his glasses up on his nose and sighed again. Was it true? Was it possible? Was his beloved actually alive? He could only hope. But every time he did that he was _sorely_ disappointed. He had seen the seal with his own two eyes; she was never coming back – and yet…?

Helena was with Kagetora. Not that that truly meant that Hanairo was alive, but no one had seen the feline in over sixty years. What had made her suddenly appear now? It was too suspicious. He had to make sure that the only woman he ever truly loved was alive… or dead.

He would have done so sooner had the blasted snowstorm not slowed him down. He would have been back home days ago, but the storm was slow moving and dump inches of fluffy white from Toyama to Tokyo and all the way up to Hokkaido causing lots of traffic chaos and delays; one, of course, being his train.

But if it was true – that Hanairo was alive – why had she not shown herself sooner? Did she no longer care for him or her brother or the rest of clan? That thought disturbed him for reasons he did not want to think about.

They had been lovers for nearly four hundred years and she suddenly decided that she no longer loved him? How, why? He wanted answers and he wanted them now, damnit! However… even if she no longer loved him, he could not keep himself from loving her. He truly believed that he had fallen in love with her at first site.

* * *

_Due to the fact that there was to be a wedding, security around the castle and it's main clan members had increased. The union was between a powerful Lord who would bring more wealth, land, and military power to the Uesugi to the only daughter who was considered past her prime, but breathtakingly beautiful and a catch to any man. She also had a very hefty dowry to compensate for the fact that she was ten and eight. _

_He was originally one of Lord Kenshin's twenty-eight generals. However, due to the upcoming nuptials, he was taken from the battlefields. Lord Kenshin himself informed him that because of his skills, he would be watching over Lord Kagetora for a few weeks. Little did he know at the time that 'weeks' would turn into centuries._

_Regardless, he took his duties seriously. He followed Lord Kagetora about on his daily tasks – battle plans, the wedding security, etc, etc. It was actually servant gossip that had caught his attention, all of it concerning Lady Hanairo Uesugi._

_The servants whispered about her extreme beauty, but her icy eyes and voice kept them fearful of her. Older ones told stories of her youth and how she was traumatized by small touches or about how she would escape the castle and run wild in the streets. None were allowed even close to her save for her father and brothers and three maids who were hand picked by the Lady herself. _

_And now she was to be married to a man, the women deemed, "wicked" in both looks, actions and of course bedroom manner. "Oh, she won't be able to handle him," they whispered, "he'll have her beaten if she makes as much of a fuss as she does here." "It's a good thing he's taking her away then we won't have to deal with her ridiculous demands."_

_Of course he tried to ignore this talk. When they did, if ever, meet he would judge her from that meeting and not what others said. However he could not deny that he was curious about her. Were all the things true? Was she really so horrible? Was she really so… unique? Was she really so beautiful? _

_He never intentionally sought her out. One day he did glimpse her walking through the gardens as was her habit. Her back was to him the whole time. He tried a few other times, but all were in vain. She was a hard woman to keep track of. However on their first meeting he truly did get more than he bargained for._

_On his own walk through the gardens – truly too simply glimpse her face – one of her darling maids had approached him. He had learned that the trio was not only hand picked, but also not allowed to associate with any of the other servants in the castle. This outraged many, but Lord Kenshin allowed it. He found out later that those three women were isolated to help protect Hanairo from anything and everything that could cause a relapse of her childhood._

_But on this day, this warm and sunny day, one of the little maids approached him. She bowed deeply. "Sir, have you seen my lady about?"_

_Puzzled he shook his head. "No. I have not."_

_The young maid worried her lip and bowed again. "Thank you, sir." _

_She was about to leave when he asked, "Is she missing?"_

_Sighing she looked utterly distraught. "Sir, she went for her dress fitting and has not returned yet. We are very worried and thought that she might have come to the gardens to clear her mind… but…"_

_Nodding he smiled softly at the girl. "Do not worry. I shall help you look. I'm sure she's right under our noses."_

_Smiling the maid whirled away from him. "Thank you. We will keep looking."_

_Puzzled by her ladyship's disappearance from the trio he was certain she was never without, he went in search of her. First he checked with the dressmaker who said she had not seen her for some time. Slightly alarmed he checked all of the places he thought she might be - her rooms, the gardens, the lake, the kitchens, but alas he came up empty handed. He started at one end of the grounds and worked his way to the other trying to find any trace of her. _

_Real panic was starting to well inside of him. He did not want to alarm Lord Kenshin, but he feared it was coming to the point where he had to tell him that his daughter was missing with only two days left until her wedding._

_Had she truly run away from the fate that was destined to her?_

_Stopping in one of the lesser-used guest portions of the castle, he threw open the screen door of one of the rooms and stopped dead in his tracks._

_The heady scent to jasmine assaulted his nose. _

_Bright, vivid colors nearly blinded him: white like pure snow, pink the soft color of cherry blossoms, red as deep and dark as blood. Golden dragons chasing tigers, cranes soaring over mountains, white petals floating like falling snow, these were the images delicately stitched into colored silk. _

_The wearer of these exquisite silks knelt in the middle of the room, the garments flowed around the lithe body like water, dainty hands pressed into the mats. Raven black hair was twisted and knotted atop her head adorned with golden combs and laced with precious stones and gems. _

_Upon hearing him enter, she straightened and glanced over her shoulder, bobbles from her combs falling in icy blue eyes. _So beautiful_, he thought trying to regain the ability to breathe. _

_She stood gracefully twirling the silks around her like a gust of wind. "Shut the door," she said her tone commanding. Several long moments ticked by before he was able to complete her task._

_He had heard that the Lady Hanairo was beautiful, but he did not know that she would be painfully so. Dressed in her wedding kimono, her lips painted bright red, eyes rimmed in black, her face white, he swore she was a goddess come down from the heavens to torment mortal men such as himself. But he would gladly permit her torture if only she would let him stare at her for the rest of eternity._

"_Who are you?" she asked gazing at him as if he were an insect. _

_Perhaps the rumors were true after all; she was a difficult woman to deal with. However her tone and posture somehow did not reflect in her lovely eyes. They were haunted, guarded. _

_Blinking himself out of his stupor, he bowed so low he nearly touched the floor. "My lady, I am Yasuda Nagahide._ _I was helping your maids look for you._"

_She ignored his comment altogether and took a small step towards him. "You were brought in from the front lines, were you not?"_

"_Yes, my lady," he replied still staring down at the floor. "I am one of your fathers' gen…"_

_She waved a silk covered hand, affectivity silencing him. He slowly rose and gazed at her. She was so lovely, so beautiful he ached inside._

"_Who were you ordered to watch over?"_

"_The Lord Kagetora."_

_Her eyes narrowed and he felt himself shiver. In a swirl of colorful silks she walked towards him stopping a few feet away. Her eyes narrowed into icy slits and she demanded, her tone cold, "Show me your hands."_

_He blinked and slowly did as she asked. Palms up he tried to figure out exactly what she was looking at. His hands were definitely those of a warrior. The nails were basically nonexistent; before every battle he would often chew them so low they would bleed. The tender flesh of his palms was callused from holding a sword for hours at a time. There were little nicks and cuts along his fingers and wrists. The skin was dry, chapped and peeling from repeated washings; he could, even now, still see the blood._

"_There is much blood on your hands."_

_He let out a small gasp. Technically his hands were clean, but he knew that the blood of those he murdered had soaked through to his soul permanently staining it. "I am a soldier," he replied in a tone he felt sounded far to weary. He doubted she would except his lame excuse, anyway._

"_Yes," she murmured. Cautiously one pale arm emerged from the layers of silk. She reached out with her index finger – the nail long and painted a brilliant red – and touched his palm. _

_That was the exact moment she had bewitched him. For the rest of that life, as well as the four hundred years following, all other women would pale in comparison to her._

_Gently she ran her nail across his palm until it touched the tiny bit of exposed skin on his wrist. He could not help the shiver that ran though his body or the flush that he was certain was staining his cheeks. "My lady…" he whispered his voice horse._

_She stopped her exquisite torture and gazed at him. She was the picture of elegance and calm; all a proper lady should be. But her eyes, he realized, were so sad and frightened._

"_You," she said her voice slightly shaken. "Serve the Uesugi, do you not?"_

"_Of course, my lady. I would give my life to them."_

"_And me?" _

"_Yes," he said quickly, firmly, and hoped she knew he meant it with every ounce of his being._

_He watched her as she battled with herself, her gaze on hem of her dress. She nibbled her lower lip then drew her eyes to him. Suddenly she threw herself into his arms holding onto him for dear life. Startled he gazed at her. "My…"_

"_Then listen to me, Yasuda Nagahide, and grant me this one favor." She snuggled closer to him. Her face mere inches from his own; her lips dangerously close. "I know the man I am to marry. He is a cruel man… his energy practically black. I do not want him to touch me in an intimate manner and yet I have to – he will be my husband. I am to serve and obey him. Being a woman… I am but a mere pawn. I have never made a real design in all my life. From my hair to my clothes to what I will do on a daily basis to whom I am to marry. All of it is decided for me." _

_She gripped the linen of his shirt, linking her fingers under the armor plate that protected his chest. There were still several layers of fabric between his skin and those slender fingers, but he felt as if she were touching bare flesh. His body was flushed and he was hard as a rock, throbbing mercilessly against the confines of his pants and armor. _

_Her lithe body fit perfectly against him. He could feel the supple curves of her as she held onto him. Full breasts pressed against his chest while her slender thighs fitted against his own. The apex of her body rubbed deliciously against his throbbing cock. Her mouth was mere inches from his, lips full and begging for kisses. Had he not been so shocked by her speech or their position against the wall, he would have complied and kissed her senseless. _

_If anyone were to find them, however, he would be killed on sight. She would not have the same merciful demise. Such thoughts kept him from touching her. His arms tightly against his sides, hands in fists, he could not, would not ruin her. _

_Gazing into his eyes, a blue fire burning in her own, she licked her dry lips then spoke softly. "My father will not listen to me. I tried to explain to him that I did not want to marry that man. That he was dark and evil, but he would not listen to me." She sighed and closed her eyes painfully. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her waist for comfort. _

"_I have become a burden, you see. A worthless woman who's sole purpose is to marry for more wealth. But because of my…" she paused mulling over the right word, " 'uniqueness', my father put it off for far too long. I suppose he had grown weary of me not bringing anything to the family. My brothers' excel, as you well know, and I… I do nothing but fail. So now he has chosen a husband for me. One who is ruthless, powerful, rich and willing to take me as his bride. Once more, in something that matters the most, I do not get a say."_

_She fell silent. Sighing heavily she pressed her cheek to his chest. Without thinking he cradled the back of her head, his fingers threading into the inky silk of her hair. "I'm sorry, my lady. I had…"_

"_Hush," she muttered. It was a command, but not an angry one. In fact she sounded like a tired lover trying to fall asleep. He was quiet for a moment until she pulled back and looked up at him; his fingers still knotted in her hair._

_"But I'm finally going to make a decision for myself, so do not feel sorry for me. In fact… you can help me accomplish it."_

_He opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him with a look. _

_"I want you to be the man to take my innocence."_

_Shocked by her request, his knees buckled and he slipped to the floor taking her with him. He stared into her eyes that were pleading. It was as if he was the only man on Earth that could fulfill her plea. _

"_M-my lady," he stammered, blinking at her. Usually he was so reserved, so well spoken, so calm about everything. But this woman had managed to startle him nearly to death. "I-I can not do as you ask. I don't think you understand exactly what you are asking of me."_

_She lowered her lashes, a faint blush creeping across her painted skin. Opening those blue orbs again she said, "I know what I ask."_

"_You do not!" he demanded firmly giving her a little shake, but unconsciously pulling her tighter against him. "You are to be married to a powerful lord. You must provide proof of your innocence with blood. That only happens once. If he beds you and there is no blood he will know that you were not a virgin and he could have you killed! As well as become an enemy against your father. What you're asking me is…"_

"_It's what I want!" she shouted pressing her lips against his. _

_Shocked he opened his mouth and her tongue invaded with innocent ardor. She tasted like honey, slick and sweet. He gave into the kiss crushing her mouth against his battling against her tongue. _

_She let out a delicious little squeak as he pushed her down onto the mats. Dragging his mouth away from hers as she whimpered in protest he gazed into the beautiful blue eyes beneath him. For the rest of his days –living and dead – that gaze would haunt him. _

"_This is very dangerous, Hanairo… for both of us."_

_She looped slender arms around his neck and pulled their lips together for a searing kiss. "I'll never tell," she whispered after they both broke apart panting. "I know how to injure myself so there is blood when he takes me. It will be all right. I want this to be with you, Nagahide." She smiled softly, dreamily, removing her arms from his neck and pulling at the fabric of her dress exposing inches of creamy flesh. "There is a soft light in your soul. A light like that of my brothers… like that of a few other people I have met… very few people. I'm letting you touch me because I trust that light."_

_She held his dark gaze for what seemed like an eternity and spoke so softly he almost did not hear her. "I trust… you."_

* * *

Nagahide opened his eyes to the wintry wonderland flying by him. Rubbing his face vigorously he slouched more into his seat. He was aroused and dry-mouthed. He also had an aching hole in his chest that had not gone away in sixty years. Readjusting in his seat he turned to stare out the window once more. 

He had taken her innocence that day. He could describe it as nothing short of magical. Truly it was the most erotic moment of his life. All soft limbs and flowing silk. She had been perfect beneath him, whimpering and moaning for more. He had been as gentle as possible, but he knew he had hurt her. Even so he was certain that lord-fucking-bastard would have hurt her more.

Two days after he had become completely and utterly intoxicated with her, she was gone. She had told him, centuries ago, that the day before the wedding she had cut the inner folds of her womanhood with a pin. Friction had caused the wound to bleed and be uncomfortable and therefore gave the appearance of virginity.

_Clever little minx she was_, he thought smiling. She was always so damned clever. But with all of her intelligence and wit, it could not save her from _his_ deadly hands. Eight months into her marriage she was dead.

* * *

_She had started sending her brothers' letters two weeks after her wedding. Each letter was very casual. She would talk of the weather, what she had done that day, how her silly cat was - nothing major. About the fourth letter Lord Kagetora started to notice a strange pattern. Several kanji were written in slightly lighter ink. Not terribly lighter just enough so that on closer inspection one would notice the ink difference. Stringing these kanji together they formed words and sentences speaking of her new husband's misdeeds against her. It started out as yelling and screaming then actual violence._

_There was nothing they could do, however. She had become his property regardless of how he treated her she belonged to him. Though it was very clear both brothers were enraged. The final letter came in the form of a black cat. Helena appeared at the castle one night much to everyone's surprise and dread. Etched inside the bell the feline wore as a nametag, was the kanji for 'help' in blood._

_That was the final straw. That was also where he had been brought back into the picture. Due to his stealth, Kagetora had sent him to literally steal Hanairo back._

_He left at dawn at break-neck speed, and arrived in the middle of the night. He slipped into the castle, not a very easy task considering how heavily guarded it was, and fortunately happened upon a maid emptying a soap bucket. After charming the woman nearly out of her skirts, he was able to find out where Lady Hanairo's rooms were and the fastest, quietest way to get there. _

_He entered like a thief in the night - the room dark as pitch and as silent as death. He feared that they were too late until he heard a soft whimper from a heavily shadowed corner of the room. Rushing over to it he was filled with anguish and murderous intent. _

_She lay in a curled up heap in a torn, bloody dressing gown. Her left eye was blackened, her lip spilt. A wound at her right temple left a dried trail of blood down to her jaw. Her right arm was cradled protectively over the slight swell of her stomach. At the apex of her legs, soaking her gown, was blood. It trickled down her legs and stopped weakly at her calves. _

_In a wave of crushing guilt and protectiveness he fell to his knees before her and pulled her into his arms. She came willingly choking on sobs of relief._ _"I-I knew… you'd come…" she whispered her voice raw._

_Lifting her gently into his arms he said fervently, "I will never let you go."_

_She whimpered tucking her face against his neck. Her breath shallow against the column of flesh. "My baby died… he blamed me for it."_

"_Hush," he said quietly tightening his arms around her. "We're not going to talk about it. Let's get you out of here."_

_They escaped the same way he had come in. It was relatively easy to get out, but the trip back to the Uesugi was torture. He drove his horse as hard and as fast as the animal could take - Hanairo tucked protectively in his arms. _

_A few hours into the trip he knew they were being followed, but he was relentless in making sure they, especially her, made it back to the Uesugi castle. He used to blame himself for her death. Perhaps if they had not rode so hard she would not have been jostled so much and she would have made it back to her home._

_The castle had come into view like a shinning beacon of hope. The sun had risen and it was nearly midday. The gates were open awaiting their return. "Look, Hanairo, you're almost home."_

_He glanced down at her tucked securely against his chest. She was much too pale and looked far too thin even with the bump of her abdomen. Her dark lashes a stark contrast against her white skin. Those long lashes fluttered open and that beautiful blue gaze held his. Her hand shaking, she touched his cheek. Her mouth opened as to speak, but no words came out._

_Bewildered he breathed her name. A soft smile graced her lips as her eyes closed and her hand fell away. She gasped and went completely slack in his arms right outside the gates. "Hanairo!" he shouted as they thundered through the wooden doors._

* * *

He rubbed damp palms against jean clad thighs. That had been one of the worst experiences of his life. Second only to what happened sixty years ago. Her husband had arrived at the castle an hour afterwards. He was enraged by the fact that that someone had the nerve to steal his property and then kill her. 

Lord Kagetora was the first to encounter Sorin who claimed he was in love with Hanairo and would never, ever, lay a hand on her. Whoever kidnapped her must have beaten her to death. Lord Kagetora was about to kill Lord Sorin at that comment, but Lord Kenshin arrived and demanded a privet audience with Lord Sorin.

What exactly was said between the two lords no one was certain, but the gist of it was the complete abolishment of all ties between the two clans. Lord Kenshin swore vengeance for his daughter while Lord Sorin swore to kill all members of the Uesugi for stealing his property.

Lord Kenshin was killed in battle a few years after his daughter's death. When he made a deal with Bishamonten about his soul, he could not be the only possessor. He had to have his men around him. He had to create _the Nether World Uesugi Army_. And what better person to help hunt down the vengeful souls of his men than a soul that was able to see auras as a mortal.

Lord Kenshin had found his daughter's angry soul wondering the grounds right outside the castle gates. She would often over turn carts laden with food, weapons and supplies; frighten visiting armies and clans, open and close the gates on a whim and send villagers screaming in her outrage. Not only was she dead, but her soul could not step past the castle gates and enter her home.

Kenshin had battled with her for days; she had attacked him in her outrage. Fortunately he was able to turn her into a possessor and ease her vengeful heart and mind. Her limited powers when she was first alive paled in comparison to what she was capable of as a possessor.

She helped him track down and find his sons, his generals and of course his full army. In return he found her cat, which was nearly on death's door by this time, and made her a demon so that they could always be together.

He had to admit that Hanairo was very different after she became a possessor. For awhile she was skittish and frightened. She was even colder to people than she had been in the past. After a while, however – several dozen decades – she started to realize that she was safe with the Uesugi and that her husband was not going to reclaim her. That and she realized when people touched her she could control the affects each aura had on her own body, her own soul.

She was no longer tormented by human contact instead she relished in it. She laughed constantly and smiled all the time. Simple human touches like handshakes and hugs were no longer foreign to her. Every chance she got she would touch someone in some way.

Her laugher, her smiles, her casual touches were infectious to the people around her. She seemed to make those around her brighten simply by walking into a room. The gossip of her past turned into gossip of adoration. "Such a kind lady", was often followed after her wherever she went.

He was no longer the only one bewitched by her. Now he had competition – an entire army's worth. Many men wanted her: her radiant beauty and her bright, caring, smiling personality, who would not want her? She was protected, however, due to her status and her family.

Kageyasu was the one who had told him to peruse the relationship with his sister. _"I've seen the longing in her eyes, as well as yours. Why do you avoid her as you do? We were all lucky to gain another chance at life… and at love. You should not let that opportunity pass you by."_

He had been right, of course. Taking his lord's advice, he had barged into Hanairo's rooms and kissed her senseless. He could still vividly remember the look of shock on her face as he swept her into his arms and told her he loved her.

He let out a sigh, a smile whisking across his face. They had been together since then. His men would tease him telling him that he had become her lapdog. Of course he did not care; he would gladly be her loyal dog for all of eternity as long as she would have him. Sixty years ago, however, their eternity was cut short.

Lord Sorin had not given up on the day of his wife's death. He too became a vengeful spirit and was found by one of the Uesugi's enemies. To this day, no one is completely certain who turned him into a possessor – Hojo, Takeda or Oda. What is known, however, is that once "alive" again Sorin came after his wife with a vengeance.

For two hundred years he fluttered around Hanairo always there but just out of reach. She would often claim she felt his presence. Sometimes he was but a few feet away and others, miles. He would leave her notes speaking of how he was going to kill her; other times he would leave her flowers either dead, soaked in blood, or withered. A few times there were dead animals or parts of them left to her.

Back and forth and back and forth he seemed to dance with her causing her to act like a terrified rabbit. Even with all of the promises of protection her father, brothers, Naoe and Haruie, as well as himself made it did nothing to calm her paranoia. He tortured her like that until sixty years ago when he extracted his revenge.

Burying his head in his hands he tried to block out the images dancing before his eyelids. The mangled body on a cross, barely recognizable as the woman he loved so dearly; the seal etched upon her forehead and filled with ash – her hands that he had cremated – and ink. The sight, the smell of her body, of the mark upon her forehead that declared she was bound to the darkest reaches of hell, was too much to bear.

He had killed himself right then and there only to remain in a state of limbo for twenty some odd years torturing himself for not being able to protect her… for losing her. He could never forgive himself.

Shaking his head, feeling rather like he was going to vomit all over the floor, he tried to calm his breathing. He hated remembering that fateful day. It was on that day that every soft, gentle emotion he had left was frozen then shattered.

"Hanairo," he whispered his heart aching. "I'm coming for you and I swear on my soul, I'll never let you go again."

* * *

_Authors Note:_ Hi! Hi! Hi! Goodness it's been awhile. I apologize for that… but life is busy sometimes. That and I'm finishing up w/ chpts 9 and 10 so those will be up real soon, promise! I just hope you guys can wait that long. 

Now chpt 7 raised a lot of questions, I noticed. That's good! Yay! But also, erm, I dunno… bad for my character. Haha! Hopefully this chpt makes ppl like her more. But if not that's okay… as long as you keep reading! sad puppy dog eyes

I hope that ppl enjoyed Nagahide as well. He's not very developed in the anime, so I kinda took what I saw and thought and ran w/ it. Please say I didn't trip and fall down! I had a lot of fun/ pain writing his feelings and memories. It was hard trying to think like a man in a sense.

Also I wasn't sure if Nagahide's name was Yasuda Nagahide or Nagahide Yasuda. I saw it both ways and sometimes I'm not entirely sure which is the right way. So if someone could tell me I'll be more than happy to fix that. Thanks!

And, um, well… I don't know a lot about the past events of the Uesugi. I'm only basing this fic on the anime so I had to make a lot of stuff up. I also left things not as detailed as I would have wanted. If anyone has some notes on the facts I'd love to hear them and I will definitely change things in my story to fit them. I'm a stickler for stuff like that. Like Kageyasu is the name of Kagetora's brother, yes? I'm pretty sure it is; that's what it is in the actually history so I took a wild guess. insert nervous laugh So if it's wrong I'll change that, too.  
Do enjoy and thanks for reading. Please leave me feedback! Thanks so much!! Ana

* * *

Next Chapter: _To be with You… Always _

"Never leave me again. I couldn't bare it."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine: To be with you…Always**_

* * *

Stepping off the train he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. People bustled around him as he made his way to the 'surface'. Yawning he climbed a long flight of stairs – snowflakes hit him in the face – as bright, winter light greeted him. 

His cell phone vibrated against his thigh making him thank the gods more and more that he had returned to civilization. Glancing at the screen a happy animated envelope flashed _'Naoe'_ at him. He clicked the message. "Nagahide… I want you to meet me at the _Flying Fighter Fish_ for lunch as soon as you get in. I'll be waiting for you."

Puzzled he slipped his cell phone back in his pocket. He and Naoe were not close enough to share lunch together just one on one. In fact they had never done so before. Strange that he had made such a request. But it was at that moment that his stomach decided to interrupt his thoughts with a load growl. Regardless of Naoe's motives he was hungry and was not going to pass up an opportunity to get a free meal.

The _Flying Fighter Fish _was about four blocks away from the train station. Settled into the bustling downtown district, in between an art gallery and bookstore, it was a lunchtime favorite of many office workers.

Today was no exception as Nagahide entered the busy restaurant. A young woman dressed in a full length red kimono bowed at him. "Welcome," she said in a rather breathy tone. "One?"

Nodding as he removed his gloves, he said, "Yes. Thank you. The bar, please?"

"Right this way." She gestured for him to follow as she lead him into the dinning room of the restaurant.

It was a quaint establishment with fifty tables and a large, wooden, U-shaped bar. Decorated in bright earth tones with small tables and booths lining the walls. Several large aquariums were scattered throughout the restaurant with large, over fed fish just perfect for ones next meal. The bar was large and made to occupy twenty or so guests. Three sushi chefs stood behind it chopping, rolling and slicing fish, rice and nori.

Smiling the hostess motioned to a stool at the corner of the bar close to a flapping beaded doorway leading to the kitchens. Depositing his stuff on the floor he sat with a content sigh. He really was starving. Glancing about the restaurant he tried to feel Naoe's presence, but the man had not arrived yet. Sighing he watched one of the chef's hack the head off a grouper; it's tail still flapping wildly.

A petite waitress appeared from the beaded door and spoke with one of the chefs – an older, slightly balding man with a graybeard and belly.

"Amiee said she can't come out to help right now."

"What?" he croaked, "We're swamped out here. We need her help."

The little woman shrugged. "She said something has come up and she can't come out."

Grunting he stopped shaping a ball of rice and walked into the beads.

Shrugging once more the girl turned to him. "What may I get you to drink, sir?"

"I'll just have a…" At that very moment a power he had not felt in decades suddenly shot up his spine and through his chest making his heart beat erratically. Wide eyed and panting, the hairs on the back of his neck on end, he gazed at the woman before him.

She blinked at him. "Sir?"

And just as quickly as it arrived the aura was gone. He knew that aura; knew it like his own heart. _Hanairo…_

"Um…" the girl before him muttered.

Before he could answer the chef returned from the back lifting the beaded curtain high over his head. Nagahide saw through the curtain, saw just over the chef's shoulder, a slender woman with raven dark hair and ice blue eyes staring right back at… _him._

And before he knew what the hell he was doing, he was on his feet - his insides in knots, his heart sounding like a bass drum in his chest – leaping over the bar and through the door. The girl shrieked; the chef's yelled and restaurant patrons gasped.

Like a mad man he dashed into the noisy kitchen startling the chef's that were back there. "Hanairo!" he shouted, but was only greeted with the clang of pots and pans and the loud slam of a heavy back entrance door.

Darting around the "line" and a few dish dollies he reached the back door and stepped outside. Empty. But he knew she had just been there. He could smell her, feel her presence all around the tiny alleyway. She was alive and she was running from him. His chest tightened at that thought.

Closing his eyes, trying to still his mind and body, he tried to focus on her.

He had only briefly glimpsed that woman, but he knew with every ounce of his being that that was Hanairo. She must have been trying to hide her aura from him, but lost focus when that chef went to talk to her. Obviously she regained that focus very quickly; he could not longer sense her presence. She was gone like a puff of smoke.

"Bitch," he muttered. "Why the devil are you running from me?"

Taking a deep breath he clasped his hands together – index fingers up – and closed his eyes. _She can't escape that easily. Let's see if she can sense me with this._

Quietly he started to chant. Kanji appeared on the snowy, dirty ground and swirled about his feet shooting a soft, blue-green light up into the air and completely encompassing his body.

Opening his eyes, the light disappearing, he smirked. _This is my most powerful seal. No one has been able to sense my presence. Let's test my skills upon you, my darling spirit tracker. _

Pushing his glasses up on his nose, he ran from the alleyway to the bustling streets. Running his gaze through the crowd he tried to locate her. A few antagonizing moments ticked by before he noticed a woman standing twenty some feet away, near a light post, dressed in full sushi chef garb and a charcoal pea-coat. Her gaze darting back and forth from the _Flying Fighter Fish _to her position.

Smiling at her confusion, and his own genius at the seal he was immersed in, he headed towards her. Heart thudding, body trembling, he got within a few feet of her before their gazes locked.

Time stood still. The people walking around them seemed to disappear as he stared at her. Breathless he whispered her name, "Hanairo…"

Pressing herself against the lamppost she smirked at him. "Nagahide," she whispered; her eyes were distant staring at a spot over his shoulder.

He dared not turn and look for fear that she would disappear like a dream.

"Your seal is clever. I can't read you."

Smiling in slight triumph he reached out for her.

She spun away from him and took off running. "Let's see if you can catch me!" she yelled back at him running at breakneck speed through the crowd of people.

Cursing he took off after her. He chased her to a small apartment complex. He watched as she ran to the second story and, leaning over the balcony, stuck her tongue out at him. Growling in rage he vaulted up the steps after her. He ran at her almost about to catch her when the door was slammed in his face.

"Hanairo!" he yelled pounding on the wooden surface. "Open up!"

"Why don't you use the knob, dumbass?" was yelled from the other side.

Growling in frustration, nearly ripping the door off its hinges, he forced himself inside. She stood there waiting for him, but this time not in a silk wedding gown, but in a pair of black pants and a red _happi_ with a blooming lotus flower.

She smiled and held out her arms. "Nagahide…"

Tears stinging his eyes he ran to her, his voice lost in his throat. Pulling her into his arms he crushed her against his body planting kisses on her head, her face, her lips. He tightened his hold on her nearly crushing her in his embrace, but he did not care nor did she complain.

"Oh how I've missed you," she murmured her voice thick with emotion and tears.

"Hanairo…" he breathed pushing her to the floor, articles of clothing becoming untied, unlaced and unbuttoned in the process.

"Come to me, my love," she whispered pulling him against her body.

He was trembling as he lay between her tights. Pushing open her shirt he touched bare flesh and kissed it. She sighed and pulled his lips to hers. Cupping her face he gazed into the ice blue eyes beneath him so bright and full of emotion.

Smiling she removed his glasses and, reaching upward, set them lovingly on the coffee table. Gently she unbound his hair and watch the silken treads fall around his shoulders like honey all the while never breaking their gaze.

He kissed her again; crushing their bodies together he buried his face in her neck breathing in a fishy lemony scent. "Hanairo… Hanairo…" he murmured against the pale column of flesh. He kissed it then bit, sucking and marking her near her hairline.

She gasped, arching upward, treading her fingers in his hair.

"Where have you been?" he asked pulling his face from her neck to stare into her eyes. "Why did you leave? I thought…"

"Shhh…" she cooed pulling his sweater up and over his head. "I know what you thought and I'm sorry." Tears glittered on her lashes like diamonds. Touching the soft material of his dress shirt, she ran her fingers along the buttons sending jolts of pleasure through his body.

Suddenly she grabbed fistfuls of the warm cotton material and ripped; buttons went flying. Instead of gasping in surprise, he laughed. "Impatient much? This was a good shirt too," he grumbled.

With a soft smile she touched his chest, pale fingers fanning out across the strong muscles. The skin was warm and tanned; he smelled like laundry soap, winter and musk.

"I never wanted to be away from you, but I…" she paused as he removed the happi from underneath her along with her bra.

Gasping as the cool air hit her sensitive flesh she said, "I had to hide. I needed to be safe and that was away from everyone… even you."

He frowned deeply down at her, but nodded. They both knew that that would not be the end of that conversation, but for right now that did not matter. All that mattered was skin and kisses and love.

Cupping the two globes of pale flesh in his hands and squeezed gently emitting a moan from the lithe woman beneath him. Smiling, his thumbs turning her nipples into hard peeks, he asked. "Have you had other lovers, Hanairo?"

She locked her gaze with his and shook her head. "No. Only you. It's only ever been _you_."

He could not contain the primal grown of possessiveness that escaped from his throat. Leaning down he wrapped her completely in his arms and whispered against her ear, "My sweet lady, never leave me again. I simply could not bare it. My life is nothing without you in my arms."

She laughed wholeheartedly. "You're so corny!"

Shooting upward he gazed into her face. "Hey! That's not funny! I'm being serious!"

Giggling she twirled the silken hairs at his shoulders between her fingers. "I know but… you're still corny."

A wicked smile spread across his lips. "Oh yeah?" He pinched her nipple making her gasp in pleasure.

"Not fair," she pouted much to his triumphant smile. Sighing she held up her pinky and gazed deeply into his gray eyes. "I promise. I'll never leave you again, my love."

Grabbing her pinkie with his own he kissed her.

* * *

Authors Note:Huzzah! Finally one more done and outta the way. I promise this will be the extent of these 2 taking up precious Takaya x Naoe time. can't wait for chpt 10 angsty happiness 

I hope you all enjoyed these 2 chpts about Nagahide and Hanairo's relationship. I just wanted Nagahide to be, basically, hopelessly devoted to her. How he preserves her is very evident in the last chapter and a bit in this one, so keep that in mind, my dear readers.

I saw this chapter clearly in my head. Nagahide going into the restaurant and jumping over a wooden bar and racing into the back then standing in that alley and chasing after her. It was so perfect… but my poor writing did not do it justice, I think. Ah… whatever.

OH! I did not up the rating cuz I still feel that this is** T** material. There was just some groping involved in this chapter. In later chapters, however, I will up the rating to **M** cuz I really wanna write that scene that everyone loves to read! Haha! But I'll let everyone know when I'm gonna do that.

Anyway… read on, dearest reader, read on. Chapter 10 is a douzie.

* * *

Next Chapter: _Dinner Date _

"Stop fidgeting! You look fine."

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

_**Chapter Ten: Dinner Date**_

* * *

The wind whipped violently making the snow fly through the starry sky like billions of tiny diamonds. He sat on a rod iron bench underneath a bright red canopy with the words: _Le Mirage _scrawled across it in fancy, white, calligraphy. Golden light poured forth from the elegant restaurant and onto his face giving him a small, very small, _ridiculously_ small sense of warmth.

A chill shot through him as the wind blew. He hunched overmore sliding his gloved hands further up the inside of his thighs to warm his numb fingers. How long had they been waiting outside now – two minutes, five minutes, twenty minutes?! Shivering he tightened his scarf around his face covering up his icicle of a nose; he tucked his hands back between his thighs.

The smell of cigarette smoke tickled his nose. About a foot away from him Naoe stood in a black, knee length coat with a cream colored scarf around his neck. He held a cigarette between his slender fingers and would press it to his lips occasionally; he seemed very intent on watching the smoke drift through the frigid air.

Damn he looked good enough to eat! He just stood by the ashtray puffing away in that refined style of his. When the wind blew, his coat seemed to dance around his legs, which were clad in dark gray slacks. He knew, too, that Naoe wore a crisp, white, button down, black tie and suit jacket to match his pants. Until most recently Takaya was certain that was all he owned.

A few steps away from both the bench and the ashtray, was Haruie. She walked along the curb; her shoes clicking in a rather annoying rhythm as she watched the street for oncoming cars.

He could not contain his relief and joy that Haruie was in town. She and Naoe had picked him up at his apartment. She had tackled him in his own doorway saying she was "overjoyed" to see him. He always felt calm around Haruie probably because out of the other three members of their band, they had the most normal relationship.

With Nagahide he always felt on guard; there was no secret to the fact that Nagahide thought he was stupid; thought he could not handle the position of leader, and thought he was more powerful and would do a better job than Takaya ever could. Funny, though now that he thought about it, Nagahide never once tried to overthrow him. _Huh…_

And, his relationship with Naoe was, well, a disaster to say the least and would probably take up miles an miles of brain space. So it was best, he figured, not to think of that right now. Later, after this dinner date, he knew he would go home and stew upon it keeping him awake until the wee hours of the morning. _Bastard…_

But, truly, his relationship with Haruie was fine. She never seemed to want anything from him and always stood behind him. So now that his "sister" had shown up, and he had no idea what or how to feel about her, he was thankful for Haruie's presence. She might not be able to give him the advice he craved, but she would support him in whatever outcome he chose.

Sweeping his gaze to the pacing woman he could not help but smile softly. While Naoe was dressed in black, Haruie was in red – fire engine red! Her coat was white and fell to her thighs with a sparkly, red swatch of cloth that could definitely not be called a scarf, but indubitably was. Under that she wore a red dress that fell just above her knees and off the shoulder, it was cut low and showed off her chest. Simple, bright and flashy yet also very elegant it was all Haruie.

Unlike Naoe and Haruie, he did not own nice, "fancy" clothes. Instead he wore one of his school uniform shirts and tie with a pair of black pants. Yuzuru had been kind enough to lend him a dark blazer to complete the outfit. But he still felt out of place and 'common' among the many sophisticatedly dressed people waiting in line with him.

They had arrived at the restaurant ahead of Nagahide and Hanairo. It was a large building that just oozed high class. There was also a rather long line leading out the door. He hoped that Hanairo had made a reservation; places like this one tended to have a two to six month waiting list. How on earth were they going to eat here?

Sighing he blew a lock of hair out of his eyes. Shivering, he huddled more in on himself.

"Are you okay, Takaya?" Naoe asked putting out his cigarette to come and stand in front of the teen.

The golden light hit him and cast shadows along the deeper planes of his face. For a moment Takaya could not breath then he grumbled, in a rather disgruntled tone, "Yeah, fine. I'm just really frikin' cold!"

Chuckling lightly Naoe nodded. "They should be here soon."

Haruie, who had been stalking the sidewalk's curb and tormenting the poor valet, ran over to them jumping up and down on her stilettos. "They're here! They're here!" Tears started to fall down her face as a powder blue _Mini Cooper_ pulled up in front of the restaurant.

The door opened and Nagahide stepped out dressed in a pair of black pants and a dark gray coat. "Hi!" he waved smiling brightly. "Sorry we're late. Women take _so_ long to get ready."

Haruie literally pushed him out of her way as she ran around the car to the young woman giving her keys to the valet.

"Hanairo!" she screamed and embraced her, tears still streaming down her face.

Takaya saw the look of joy upon his sister's face from over the top of the tiny car. Something tightened in his chest. Even though she practically abandoned all of them to the thought that she was dead, she still cared deeply for the members of the Uesugi - so he gathered.

Nagahide walked over to the two men and shook his head, but smiled. "Takaya, Naoe… how's it goin'?"

"Chiaki, when did you get back in town?"

Smiling the other teen pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Oh, earlier this afternoon, but I had a fake lunch date to go to." He grinned and gave a small, off hand, salute to Naoe.

The older man nodded. "You're welcome. I was not sure if she was going to meet up with you before dinner. I figured you needed a _good_ reunion."

Turning back towards his lover Nagahide smiled. "And was it ever!"

Takaya gagged slightly and the other possessor smirked. "You sound like a true brother."

Before Takaya could retort the women returned arm in arm. His sister wore her charcoal colored pea coat along with a pair of tight black pants. Her coat was open exposing a silky, baby blue top with a tiny bow in a navy color right under the bust, which was cut low and slightly ruffled.

"Oh my!" Hanairo gushed, grinning brightly. "Everyone looks so nice! I hope you all saved room for dinner. We might have six or seven courses tonight."

"Six or seven courses?" Takaya echoed his eyes slightly wide.

A look of puzzlement crossed her face, but she smiled sweetly. "Why yes. We are at a French restaurant. French cuisine is known for having multiple courses. I mean some places can go as high as thirteen!" she said making her way up to the head of the line and dragging the rest of them along with her. They were given some rather disgruntled looks. "Personally, I think I'd _explode_ if I ate thirteen courses of something. But," she waved her hand, "whatever."

"Hanairo," Haruie piped up as they made their way to the host station. "Do you have reservations? This places looks really busy; I hope we can get a table."

His sister ignored her as she walked up to the host station and placed her hands on the podium. A tall, thin, young man with pristinely gelled blond hair and a perfectly tailored suite stood there, unflinching by her presence, as he wrote something in the reservation book. "_Nom_?" he asked coldly without even looking up at her.

"_Non. Il ne fait aucun besion_."

The man's spine stiffened as he slowly straightened about to snub the woman who claimed there was no need to give her name, when, upon seeing her face, he smiled brightly.

"Amiee!" He ran around the podium and grabbed her hands, kissing her cheeks. "How are you, my precious darling?"

Laughing she spoke to him in flawless French. "Oh, Pierre, I'm wonderful. How are things?"

Takaya had no idea she knew the language or could speak it so well. At least he was not the only one who could not understand the pair. Nagahide and Haruie were also just as confused as he was. Naoe, however, seemed to understand what they were saying.

Raking his dark eyes across the small group, Pierre grinned darkly. Stopping his gaze on Nagahide he asked, "Oh and is this the lover you were talking about?"

"_Oui, oui_!" she smiled brightly, love in her eyes, and planted a kiss on Nagahide's cheek.

Pierre gave a slight swoon and then asked, "And that beautiful lady… she and the stoic hottie are together, _n'est pas_?"

Naoe choked and everyone turned to him in puzzlement.

But Hanairo, her smile tight on her face, nodded. "Why… _oui_!"

"Amiee?" Naoe nearly growled, but she ignored him with a wave of her hand.

"Aren't they cute?"

"_Oui_… but what about that one?" he asked with a lick of his lips. "Does he like cock or pussy?"

Hanairo clearly blanched, but that smile remained plastered on her face. Naoe, however, had the look of murder in his eyes. Quickly she took Pierre's thin arm and loped hers around it. "Um… he's confused."

Blonde eyebrows shot up his forehead and his eyes clouded with lust. "Really?"

"_Oui_, but I don't think he needs your help at trying to figure it out." She laughed lightly dragging him into the restaurant some.

"Oh but I…"

"How's Chef?"

Smiling Pierre grabbed a stack of menus. "Oh, fabulous as always," he said leading the way to their table, Hanairo still on his arm.

Takaya looked at his four companions, two of whom were just as confused as he, and asked, "What just happened?"

"This way!" Pierre called.

"I have no clue," Haruie said with a slight shrug. "I suppose I should have paid more attention in my high school French class. I could only understand the words 'yes', chicken' and 'cat' I think, but I'm not sure." She paused tapping her index finger against her chin.

"Chicken… why would they be talking about a chicken and… a cat? That's odd." Nagahide said then a smirk worked its way across his lips. "Maybe that's what we're having for dinner!" he chuckled.

Everyone else clearly blanched.

Clearing his throat, Naoe interrupted the conversation. "We better follow them or we'll lose them."

"Oh I doubt that," Haruie said with a smile following after the duo. Shrugging, Nagahide did the same.

Glancing at Naoe, Takaya asked, "Did you know what they were talking about, Naoe? You seemed to understand."

Touching the small of his back, gently ushering him forward, Naoe shook his head. "It was not important. Your sister did a well enough job of protecting you."

"What?" he asked puzzled.

But Naoe did not answer him instead they followed after the rest of their party.

Takaya scanned the lavish restaurant. Tables and booths with large plush chairs and cushions were dressed in rich creams and golds. More china than he had ever seen in his life was set at each table all of it trimmed in gold. High vaulted ceilings covered in pressed-tin; the large, crystal chandeliers seemed to glisten like stars. Heavy, cream-colored velvet swags hung from said ceiling like fluffy clouds.

Pierre led them to an opulent, half-moon shaped table with a bouquet of white roses in the center. "Jacque will be your server. He is our best, after all," he said placing menus at each seating.

"Thank you, Pierre. I appreciate it. And… will you tell Chef I'm here?"

"Of course!" he smiled kissing her cheeks once again. "I'll see you off when you've finished. Enjoy your food." Turning to the rest of the group he bowed slightly and in Japanese he said, "Enjoy." At that he left them.

After a small debate on seating, they ended up with Nagahide on the end, Hanairo between him and Haruie with Takaya next to her and finally Naoe occupying the other end seat, Hanairo smiled. "Well, what do you guys think? Nice place, huh?"

"It's so elegant," Haruie whispered opening her menu.

"This is my former chef's dream. Chef Dominic Gasto, certified Master Chef, thank you very much." She smiled proudly. "I was his sous chef back in France. His wife is Japanese and she had been begging him for years to return to Japan. She finally convinced him not long before I left to come back here last year."

"Then why aren't you working for him?" Takaya asked scanning his menu. Mercifully it was in both French and Japanese.

" 'Cause I got bored. But don't tell him that."

Suddenly an older, rather short, portly man with an enormous white chef's hat came barreling towards them. "Amiee!" he bellowed his accent thick.

Grinning she jumped from her seat and greeted the man with a hug. "Chef! I'm so happy to see you!" This time, however, she continued to speak in Japanese.

Chef Dominic, very fluent in the language, kissed her cheeks and said, "I'm pleased to see you as well, my dearest. How are you? I hope my fishy friend is treating you well, hmm?"

"Oh yes, Chef Jun is wonderful. Thank you for recommending him."

"Anything for you. I just wish you would come back to me. Oh, no one is nearly as good as you."

"Don't I know it!" she laughed and then turned to the table. "Chef, I want you to meet my friends… Tachibana Yoshiaki, Ohgi Takaya, Kadowaki Ayako, and Chiaki Shuhei. Everyone… this is Chef Dominic Gasto."

He bowed slightly to them and they returned the gesture. "I am glad that my Amiee has such nice friends. She is like another daughter to me. The best sous chef I ever had. I was so sad to see her go, but," he chuckled pinching her cheek fondly, "you are now only a few blocks away from my grand dream. Don't think I will not torment you to come and cook with me."

"It's not torment at all," she smiled.

"Good. I will leave you lovely ladies and gentlemen to your meal. It's on the house. Drink whatever you like, also. Amiee… I will have Jacque bring some of that champagne you like, hmm?"

Beaming brightly she hugged him one last time. "Yes! Wonderful. Thank you so much, Chef."

"Anytime." Bowing at the group, he walked away.

Sitting back in her seat, she said, "Free food and drink… can't beat that!"

"You had this planed, didn't you, minx?" Nagahide asked eyeing her.

Blinking in mock horror she shook her head. "Me? Never! Just 'cause I've got connection… doesn't mean I _planned_ it."

They laughed lightly.

Quietly a short, middle aged man with dark hair approached their table and bowed ever so slightly. He wore dark slacks with a white button down, black tie and black, satin vest. "Good evening. I am Jacque. Amiee… nice to see you again."

She nodded and smiled.

Another server, wearing the same outfit, approached the table with a silver ice bucket holding a bottle of rather expensive champagne. "Complements from the owner," he bowed and left.

"I will give you some time with the menu," Jacque said and departed.

Hanairo scrambled to the bottle and pulled it from its icy encasement. Smiling she peeled off the shimmery green foil. "This stuff is so good. It's sweet so it's like you're drinking bubbly juice. Oh many a time have I suffered hangovers from this stuff."

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" Naoe asked eyeing her as she struggled with the highly pressurized cork.

"Oh pish, nonsense… kids in France drink wine straight from the womb."

The cork released with a resounding _pop_.

She reached for Takaya's glass. "Brother… you first." She smiled.

Naoe's hand shot out like lightening gripping the top of the flute. "I don't think it's wise for the three of you, especially Lord Kagetora, to be drinking."

"Naoe-kun," she said with a beaming smile, her hand gripped tightly around the steam of the glass; she gave it a slight shake. "This is a celebration! One drink will not hurt." She touched his hand and, for a split second, it seemed as if the older man could not move.

He frowned deeply as she yanked the glass away with that smile still firmly in place. "I don't think this is a good idea," he said ignoring the stares and slight protests of his master and Nagahide. "The three of you are underage. It's bad for your body and mental development."

"According to my license, which is French, I _am_ legal. So it's only the duo there." She thumbed towards them as she poured the bubbly liquid into the delicate crystal flutes. "But I won't tell." She winked at Naoe and Haruie. "Besides… it's almost like an order." Her gaze locked onto Naoe's and his frown deepened. Those icy eyes seemed to peer into his soul. But then she smiled and drew her gaze towards Haruie.

"I wouldn't dream of telling!" Haruie grinned. "We are celebrating, after all."

"See," Hanairo said sticking her tongue out at the oldest possessor as she passed the glasses around the table.

Naoe frowned but said nothing.

Takaya sat back and watched the exchange with avid interest and confusion. He was starting to realize that she smiled to hide her thoughts and that made her dangerous. When was a joker serious? When was he not? He did not like that fact one bit. She was hiding behind that smile of hers, but what, exactly, was she hiding?

His sister passed the glasses around the table making sure that each person got one. Then she held hers up and smiled. "A toast… to the Uesugi. Know that I have missed you… all of you… and I'm happy to be back."

"To the Uesugi," they repeated in unison clinking their glasses together.

* * *

They stepped outside into the wintry wonderland. Two valets jumped into action bringing each vehicle around to the front of the restaurant.

"Oh my… _I am stuffed_! I'll never be able to eat another bite. I think I even popped a seam on my dress. Hanairo, look, do you see one?"

Grinning, her arm still looped around Nagahide's, Hanairo touched the right side of Haruie's red satin dress and shook her head. "Nope. They look fine to me."

Sighing in relief she threw her arm around Hanairo's shoulders, effectively dislodging the lovebirds. "Will you take me back to my hotel?" she asked her voice slightly breathy. She nuzzled her face against the crook of Hanairo's neck and sighed. "You smell like lemons."

Smiling Hanairo patted her slightly inebriated friend's head. "Thank you, Haruie. Hey… let's go shopping tomorrow, hmm?"

Lifting her head, Haruie smiled brightly at her. "Yes! That would be lovely. I've missed doing that."

"Wonderful. Tomorrow evening then?"

Nodding Haruie hugged her tightly then slipped into the backseat of Hanairo's tiny car.

"Don't worry, I'll take Lord Kagetora home," Naoe said gesturing towards his sleek black vehicle.

"Okay!" she said with a smile.

Takaya clearly paled. Haruie had been his buffer for the agonizing car ride. And now, with his limbs feeling heavy and his head fuzzy from the champagne, he was not so sure he trusted being locked in a car with Naoe for any extended period of time.

He wanted to protest, but his sister smiled at him. A kind of smile that he _knew_, knew without a reason of a doubt, that she understood the inner workings of his mind.

"That _is _okay, isn't it, brother?"

By asking his permission in said manner he could not deny that it was not 'okay', for if he did it would show a sense of weakness to the group. Takaya did not want such a thing to occur, and his sister knew it. Glaring at her smiling face he gave a little snort and said, "Yeah. It's fine. Whatever."

Beaming at him she ran to the drivers side of her car. "Great! I'll call upon you tomorrow then, Takaya." At that she got in and started the engine.

Nagahide waved out the window as they disappeared.

The smell of cigarette smoke tickled his nose. He heard Naoe take a deep drag and exhale slowly. That smell combined with Naoe's own musk always sent waves of desire through his body causing him to shake. This particular moment was no exception only it seemed to be more intense than normal. He swayed on his feet slightly wanting to cuddle into the man with that intoxicating smell.

Grunting in annoyance at how powerful that desire was, he said, "Will you put that thing out?"

"I thought you did not have a problem with my smoking?" he asked blinking in slight confusion.

"Yeah, well, it's making me sick, all right? Put the damn thing out!" he snapped.

Sighing he did as his master instructed, squashing the butt in the ashtray. "Better?" he asked in a rather sarcastic tone.

"Yes. It's a bad habit, anyway."

Naoe snorted as he got in the car and climbed in. Takaya stood outside the passenger door for a moment. Taking a deep breath he tried to calm his nerves and refocus his slightly fuzzy brain. The car started making him jump slightly. Taking another deep breath, fingers trembling on the ice-cold handle, he opened the door and slid in.

Leather crunched under the weight of his body as he buckled himself in. Naoe adjusted the heater turning it on full blast. The loud hiss was oddly soothing to Takaya's slightly hazy brain.

"Are you ready, Takaya?" Naoe asked quietly, putting a CD into the player without even looking at the teen.

Leaning his head against the rest he said, "Yes. Go."

He could feel Naoe's eyes on him. Feel them moving from the top of his head to the tips of his shoes. His sent was all around tantalizing his senses. He tried to ignore the tremors that coursed through his body. Mental images danced through his mind like naked ballerinas all with Naoe's face and hands and body and lips and… He shook his head and gazed out the window as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Naoe fiddled with the volume on the CD player allowing the sultry, Italian, opera to fill the silence of the car. Ten minutes later the heater finally started blowing out hot air at a very rapid rate bringing a few beads of perspiration to Takaya's upper lip.

Damn it was hot in the car! The opera singer's voice crescendo-ed and Takaya felt like he was going to pass out. The hiss and whoosh of the heater was oddly soothing along with the passing lights. If only he had a blanket he could fall asleep peacefully. And this whole feeling of sleep and dizziness had nothing, absolutely _nothing_ to do with the four glasses of champagne he had at the restaurant – nothing at all.

He moaned and shifted in his seat moving his face away from the blast of the heater to press it up against the cold window. "Naoe… isn't it hot in here?"

The older man casually reached over and turned the heat from four to two. Takaya instantly found relief, but it was short lived as he realized Naoe was eyeing him from his side of the car.

"W-what?" he snapped and was sure his speech slurred.

"Are you… _oka_y?" the last word came out very cautiously. Naoe turned at the stop sign and drove down Takaya's street. In a few moments the teen knew he would be at his apartment. He would get out into the cold and finally get away from the maddening heat of the car.

Of course it was not just the heater or the alcohol it was his own blood. It had started to simmer at dinner when Naoe had been seated next to him. Their hands would brush as the rolls were passed about. Their thighs would casually touch whenever either of them moved in their seats; and then there was the game of footsie they seemed to be playing all night long. The champagne, of course, helped to turn up the temperature and Naoe's blatant stares of desire, as Takaya ate, simply increased the heat of his blood until he all but wanted to rip his clothes off in the middle of the restaurant.

So, here he was trapped in the car nearly boiling to death desperately wanting Naoe to do _something_. Part of him feared that _something._ He feared that he would get out of the car and nothing would happen. Then again he also feared that part of him that craved Naoe's touch so desperately he could taste it.

The possessor parked the car right across from the apartment building. He turned and looked at the teen. Takaya knew his cheeks were flushed and his eyes heavily lidded, but he wondered if Naoe noticed, too.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" he asked softly, casually.

"Yes…" he said though his voice, he knew, sounded a bit too breathy. He could not help himself from staring at Naoe's mouth. Even though his lips were constantly in a frown, they were lush and full and just perfect for kissing. Not that he would know seeing as he had never been kissed before. But at that moment he desperately wanted to be. At that very moment, at that very second, he wanted Naoe to lean over and kiss him.

His eyes widened as they met the older possessor's. Deep brown with slight gold flecks, that was the color of Naoe's eyes. And he was sure those sexy eyes were reading his every thought_. Kiss me… no, don't kiss me. Kiss me… no don't… kiss me… no… kiss me… no… yes… no… yes!_

Naoe leaned over, the leather squeaking as he did so. Takaya's heart flew into his throat as his stomach plummeted to his toes.

Naoe reached over and touched his cheek; his fingers threading into the silken ebony strands of hair that fell against his face. They touched his nape, pushing his head forward. "Takaya…" he whispered.

Takaya did not fuss; he did not pull away; instead he followed the motion as Naoe's cool fingers lit his skin on fire.

"Let me… kiss you…" he breathed as his lips made contact.

Heat. Soft, velvety, blessed heat. At first he was running from it, but now he relished in it. Naoe's lips pressed against his then opened slightly and nipped. Takaya opened his mouth in a gasp as a slick, hot tongue invaded. He tasted like wine and cigarettes yet there was something else there, something earthier, something more addicting, something all Naoe.

Takaya let out a startled moan and fought against the invading tongue. Naoe made a noise in the back of his throat; a noise that sent jolts of lust straight to his groin as the older man pulled them closer together.

He touched his chest grabbing fistfuls of lien as he tried to claw his way closer to the glorious heat source. His whole body was on fire as Naoe deepened the kiss plundering his mouth like a conquering invader; and Takaya let him.

Naoe broke the kiss first in a gasp as his swiftly moved onto the teen's neck kissing, licking and suckling the smooth column of flesh. Takaya whimpered arching against the door that Naoe now had him pressed against.

He felt alive and warm and cherished, but most of all he felt like this was right. Somehow, someway, Naoe was meant to be his first kiss, his first everything. Moaning he whimpered his name, "Naoe…"

Something must have clicked in the possessor's head as he heard his name for he slowed his onslaught of his master's body. He removed his hands and – trembling for control – moved back over to his side of the car.

Takaya blinked widely. _He doesn't want me?_ "Naoe…?"

"You're drunk. I can't." He turned away from him and focused on the dark road before him. His hands were white knuckled against the steering wheel.

"I'm not drunk!" he hissed, but truly he was no longer certain what he was drunk on – champagne or Naoe.

"Yes," his said evenly yet his voice sounded hoarse and strained. "You are."

Takaya exploded. Lashing out he swung at Naoe and landed his fist at the bottom of his chin. He could see Naoe's shocked expressed in his reflection from the driver's side window.

Those lovely chocolate eyes that Takaya had just been admiring moments ago closed painfully. "Get out of my car," he said calmly; there was a hint of sorrow lingering in his tone.

For a moment Takaya felt remorsefully for his actions, but it was short lived as Naoe repeated himself with much more force. "Get out of my car!"

Instantly the teen realized he wanted to fight. Flying fists with sweat and blood, angry cursing and pure adrenaline that was what he wanted – needed. And yet he could not move, frozen in his seat like a statue.

Suddenly Naoe swung at him startling the teen out of his daze. He missed intentionally and they both knew it, but the bluff worked.

"_Get out_!"

Takaya yelled at the top of his lungs. "FINE!" He got out of the car, his whole body shaking as he slammed the door hard enough to make the vehicle rock. The tires squealed as the car sped away. He watched it disappear into the dark; his heart a million pieces in his chest. Closing his eyes against the onslaught of tears he screamed into the darkness, "Fuck you, Naoe!"

Of course there was no response other than his former self-whispering, _"I told you so."_

* * *

Next Chapter: _Sibling Bonding_

"Come on... come on... it'll be _so_ much fun!"


	11. Chapter 11

* * *

**_Chapter Eleven: Sibling Bonding_**

* * *

_Bubbles… so many bubbles… He stood on a mountaintop gazing into the sea. But it was not the sea; it was a bubbly, golden liquid that fizzled against the rocks. It seemed to speak to him: "Takaya… so many bubbles. Sweet like juice and so tasty, come and drink us in."_

_Grinning like some sort of idiot, he dove into the icy liquid swallowing large mouthfuls. He felt flushed and weightless. Flying through the clouds he landed on a beach made up of a salad greens. The air smelled strongly of fish; grilled steaks danced on the rocks singing Italian opera, as the amber liquid splashed upon the beach of salad greens. _

_A girl with dark hair and icy eyes stood before him smelling like lemons.__"…ja… oui, oui… n'est pas?"_

_The more she spoke her gibberish, the more she seemed to turn into a lemon. A bright yellow, French speaking, lemon with ice blue eyes. Chiaki then started making out with said lemon, professing his undying love. _

_"Takaya… drink more… drink more," Haruie giggled tossing the fizzy liquid at him. She wore a red dress that was fraying at the seams. Reaching out he touched her side, which was split open, leaking out snail shells and frog legs. _

_Pulling his hand away in alarm he stumbled over a boulder-sized dinner roll and fell onto the spring-mix beach. The spinach near his ear suddenly started ringing… and then it spoke to him, "Takaya! Takaya!"_

Rolling onto his side with a groan, his body being shaken like an earthquake, he swatted at the delicate hand causing his stomach to roll like a turbulent sea. He hid his face under his pillow.

"Takaya!" she shouted shaking him hard. "Yuzuru is on the phone."

Cursing under his breath he muttered, "I'll call him later."

"But…" she questioned still shaking his shoulder.

"I'll call him later!" he snapped burying his head deeper into his pillows shutting out the light and the world. His body ached and his chest hurt; there was no getting out of bed today.

He heard his sister - yes… his _only_ sister - sigh and the bed shift. She spoke softly to Yuzuru over the phone and left the room closing the door behind her.

Breathing in relief he curled into a tight ball willing his tormented stomach to calm down. His head felt like the bass drum in a marching band. The physical aliments he was able to deal with, to rationalize. Drink too much hung over. The mental, heart wrenching, feelings were harder to accept.

"Bastard…" he muttered quietly feeling tears cling to his lashes. Last night he had shed so many he was certain there were no more. Too bad he had been wrong. Closing his eyes tight he willed himself back to sleep, back to a dreamland that was much less painful than reality.

_The smell of cigarette smoke, expensive cologne, musk and sex mingled in his nostrils creating an intoxicating scent that made him a trifle bit more submissive. He was on his hands and knees like the dog he never wanted anyone to know he was. Moaning and arching his back as Naoe suckled his neck. Two slender fingers worked their way in and out of his backside hitting a spot deep within making him shudder and moan. _

_"Naoe…" he screamed as those fingers twisted and slid deeper. _

_"I'm going to take you now," the older man whispered in his ear dipping his tongue into the delicate shell._

_A shudder coursed through his body as said man pushed on his shoulders making him sink into the mattress and arch his back more. Naoe positioned himself against the tight ring and then rammed forward encasing himself in Takaya's body to the hilt._

_He let out a deep moan and shuddered at being filled. "Naoe, Naoe…" he chanted as he rocked his hips back and forth on the cock buried deep within him. "Harder… faster…"_

_His servant did as instructed. Thrusting back and forth in a harsh rhythm that made the boy beneath him writhe in ecstasy. _

_Suddenly he pulled out, much to Takaya's dismay. Looking over his shoulder, eyes hazy, at the perspiring man behind him, he whispered his name. "Naoe?" he asked wiggling his bottom, begging for more._

_He was rewarded with a firm slap then flipped to his back; Naoe once again penetrated him. Grunting in a mix of pleasure and pain Takaya wrapped his legs around the man's waist drawing him deeper. "Harder!" he gasped._

_Velvety lips assaulted his as Naoe's thrusts deepened with more force. He bit Takaya's lip then soothed it with his tongue. Slender fingers wondered between their bodies to grasp his aching erection and jerk it roughly._

_He let out a scream as he came spilling himself upon his belly and Naoe's hand._

_"Takaya! Takaya! Oh Takaya…" Naoe moaned in his ear yet it sounded slightly feminine._

"Takaya… wake up!" She shoved at his back. Peeling open one eye he realized several things. One: Miya was once more waking him with the phone in her hand. Two: he still felt hung over and about ready to throw up. And finally three: he had just had a very erotic wet dream about Naoe and was sticky from his belly downward. Thankfully he had been sleeping on his stomach.

"What?" he snapped irritated and embarrassed about the situation.

"Phone," she said holding the device out to him.

"Take a message." Grumbling he shoved her from the bed.

"Hey! I'm not your secretary." He ignored her outburst. "Takaya!"

"Go away, Miya," he said waving his hand in her general direction.

"Oh! You are such a jerk." At that statement he heard her stomp from the room.

Sighing in relief he peeled himself from his bed sheets and went to take a shower. Cautiously he opened the door into the narrow hallway checking both directions for Miya before darting – naked – to the bathroom. Once there he locked the door and sagged against the wooden surface with a deep sigh.

"Damn you, Naoe," he muttered barely audible blowing stray locks of hair out of his face. "Even in my dreams you torture me."

Placing his hand on his stomach he winced at the stickiness. "Eww…" he muttered turning on the shower. Quickly washing his hands he brushed his teeth giving the water time to warm up. As steam filled the tiny room he finally stepped under the heated spray.

Warmth soothed his aching muscles and seemed to calm his rolling stomach. Mechanically he washed his hair and shaved his face in the shower mirror suction cupped to the wall. When all was said and done he simply stood under the spray of water, face pressed into the cool tiles.

How could he have been so damn stupid? He actually let Naoe kiss him; a real kiss with parted lips and breathy moans and dancing tongues. And he was _fully_ prepared to take that kiss even further, but Naoe stopped. The bastard actually stopped! After a supposed four-hundred years of sexual frustration and torment one would think that Naoe would have taken him in the front seat of his car like a lusty teenager. But he didn't. _He stopped_.

_Is it true then… he doesn't want _me_… he wants Lord Kagetora? The last time he acted so rash was in Kyoto. He actually had me pinned to the bed with his hands down my pants and then… the only reason he stopped then was 'cause of…_

Shuddering he hugged himself feeling cold despite the heat of the water streaming over him. He refused to think about the memory that had surfaced during that event. _Was Kagetora actually… rapped? Was I… if I am Kagetora like they tell me I am?_ Shivering he sunk to the floor of the shower drawing his knees to his chest.

Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to block out the four… no five faceless men pawing at him. Their words, undeterminable, sent fear coiling through his belly, immobilizing him. Heart beating erratically, panic started to well within him making him dizzy. His vision blurred and body shook, as he emptied the contents of his stomach not once, but three times.

* * *

Curled into the corner of the shower, watching the last traces of bile wash down the drain; he had lost all track of time. His fingers were wrinkled so it must have been at least twenty minutes or more, so he assumed. Leaning his head against the tiles he sighed. 

_Do you truly care for me, Naoe? Is that why you stopped? Are you better than those men?_ Rubbing his face vigorously he slowly, cautiously, climbed to his feet. _You are better than them… of this I am sure, but why… why… if you wanted it so badly before… didn't you take what I was offering? I just… I just… don't understand…_

With a deep sigh, making him feel like he truly was over four hundred years old, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He ran a towel over his body then just as quickly as he entered he left the bathroom.

Upon entering his bedroom, he flung open the closet doors and gazed at the articles of clothing before him. One was separated, hanging apart from the others in an almost reverent fashion; a dark gray suite jacket that was several sizes too big for his slender frame. Hand trembling he reached out and stroked the sleeve. The expensive fabric felt like velvet underneath his fingertips.

Gently he pulled it from its hanger and slipped it onto his bare skin. Cuddling into it he breathed deep hoping for any last lingering traces of Naoe's sent. It had been months and the alluring smell had disappeared long ago, but sometimes, he felt, if he breathed in the fabric hard enough, he could smell it. That mix of cigarettes, cologne and skin.

_"Because… because… I love you…"_

With a deep sigh he dropped his hands to his sides idly plucking the cuffs with his fingers. "Liar," he muttered wrapping his arms, and the coat, tightly around his naked skin. _If you really loved me… you would have… _He paused troubled by where his thoughts were going. What did he _really_ want Naoe to do? And was he _truly_ prepared to give it to him?

Grumbling he yanked the coat over his head effectively hiding his face. Inhaling deeply, the only thing he smelt was his shampoo. With a sigh he pulled the jacket from his body and hung it up. Tenderly he smoothed the wrinkles and separated it once more from the rest of his clothes.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later he was dressed and running a comb through his hair. Leaving his room wearing jeans and a white button down, he entered the hallway only to hear the faint sounds of female laughter. Perhaps Miya had invited her friend, Yumi, over? Sighing in disdain – Yumi had an _obvious_ crush on him – he walked down the hall and into the common area of the apartment. 

He nearly turned around and ran the other way, but ice blue eyes had spotted him and pinned him in place.

"Good morning, Takaya!" his _sisters _beamed in unison.

She stood first and greeted him with a bow. She wore a pair of brown corduroy pants and a mint green sweater with hood. A long blue, green, and white-striped scarf with orange fringe hung around her neck; her hair was in a ponytail tied loosely at the nape of her slender neck. A pair of electric blue socks with vibrant strawberries peeked out from her house slippers.

"Good morning, Takaya," she said softly with a smile. Something tightened in his chest as he stared at her so soft and casual and warm; so inviting. Why was he drawn to her in such a manner? Why did he simply want to fall into her arms and have her comfort him?

"Mornin'…" he murmured gazing at her and the few locks of raven hair that fell across her face. He took a step away from her. "What are you doing here?"

"Takaya!" Miya piped up her tone scolding.

For the first time he looked at her, the only girl he thought himself related too. They were so different, he noticed. Hanairo liked bright, sometimes offensive – case in point of lime green socks – loud colors. Miya was more subdued. Soft pastels and creams and always very feminine clothes; she preferred skirts to pants. Hanairo was always in pants except for their first meeting at school when she had to be in uniform. She was also slightly taller than Miya. They had roughly the same hair color and both were pale skinned. Hanairo's eyes were blue; Miya's dark brown.

They both liked cats. Miya was a decent cook and Hanairo _was_ a cook. She was older, too. Miya was soft-spoken and gentle with a pure smile. Hanairo, well, she certainly was not soft-spoken and definitely not gentle like Miya and her smile was just plain evil.

Scratching his head he blinked at her. Well, evil probably wasn't the right word for her smile. It was simply… unsettling. There always seemed to be something behind that smile and he was not so sure he trusted it. In all honestly he knew very little about her. She was a cook, yes, and worked in France and "died" sixty years ago; other than that… she was a mystery.

So perhaps, underneath her smile, she was a bit more like Miya than he thought?

"Takaya!" she shouted snapping her fingers right in front of his face. "Yo!"

Then again maybe not.

Frowning he swatted her hand away. "What?" he grumbled.

"You zoned out. We were concerned," she chuckled softly.

Narrowing his eyes at her, his frown deepened. "Why are you here?"

"Takaya! I can't believe you're talking to your girlfriend like that."

At that moment not only did he feel slightly ill with a thudding head ache, but he also felt like he had just been pummeled to the ground by a 250 pound line-backer.

Eyes wide, voice cracking as he shrieked, "WHAT?!" he tried to figure out exactly how to stop said line-backer. "My… _WHA_?!" Quickly he glanced back and forth between both girls hoping they would explain themselves to him.

Unfortunately all they did was giggle.

"Heehee… he reacted just the way you said he would, Amiee."

Blinking once, twice, three times at the duo standing before him he realized one thing. They had conspired against him! Evil wenches had tricked him into a mental "spaz" if one will.

Glaring, hands on hips, he snapped, "Excuse me?"

Grabbing her brother's arm, Miya squeezed and smiled up at him. Giggling she said, "Don't be mad, _onii-chan_. We were just teasing you. It's pay back for making me your secretary this morning and then yelling at me!"

"I didn't yell at you," he said softly.

"I know, but still. I'm not your answering service," laughing she released his arm with one more affectionate squeeze. "Besides… it was Amiee's idea."

Oh yes, he figured that. Drawing his eyes away from Miya he looked at the woman before him. "And what did Amiee introduce herself as?"

"Your girlfriend," the blue-eyed wench beamed much to Miya's giggles.

He, in turn, could barely contain a growl.

"I'm teasing, Takaya, sheeze! I simply told Miya that I was a classmate. That, and, Helena was my cat who had run away a few days ago. You found her and only the day before yesterday did we both realize we had the same cat. And since you returned my beloved feline to me… I took you to dinner to thank you. Now I'm here this morning 'cause you promised to take me to tea."

Blinking at her brilliant, and perfectly believable excuse, he could simply say, "Okay. Yes."

"So are you ready then… to go for tea?" she asked sweetly jingling her keys in the pouch of her sweater.

"Um… yes…" he muttered still slightly dazed and confused.

"Excellent!" she beamed heading for the door. "Miya… I will be sure to give Takaya that cookbook for you. You'll love it. And if you need any help, be sure to ask!" she winked.

"Oh thank you, Amiee! I can't wait."

The pair of women were silent for a moment both starring at him.

"Takaya," Miya asked tugging on his sleeve. "Are you okay?"

Blinking himself out of his daze, he patted the top of her head fondly. "Yes. Fine. I was just… still half asleep when this all happened. I'm fine." Stepping away from her he pulled a heavy, gray, wool sweater from one of the kitchen chairs as well as his wallet and keys.

Walking over to his "other" sister he pulled on his sneakers and bid Miya goodbye. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yep!" she waved. "Have fun! Bye!"

At that they left.

As they made their way down the apartment stairs - Takaya pulling his sweater on in the process - glared daggers at the back of her head.

"I can't believe you told her that."

She snorted. "Oh yes… and what was I suppose to tell her? That I was your long dead sister from four hundred years ago? Heh… that would have gone over real well. Idiot," she muttered heading for her car. "Besides… I think it was a perfectly logical excuse, don't you? Helena comes in so handy sometimes."

At the bottom, eyes glued on her vehicle and the surrounding area, he asked, "Where is Helena, by the way? I've not seen her since yesterday morning."

Hands stuffed in the pouch of her sweater, she shrugged. "She is anywhere you want her to be." At his blank stare she elaborated. "She's probably in my apartment sleeping, but if you want her, call her, and she'll come to you in a flash of spiritual flames. You know the ones I'm talking about."

"Yes… what she appeared in yesterday morning?"

She nodded. "Yep! But… don't call her now, kay? She's a terrible car traveler and we have a _long _ways to go."

He wrapped a red scarf, which had been stuffed in the sleeve of his sweater, around his neck. "A long way… for tea? What… are we going to China?"

They both climbed in the tiny car.

"There's a tea shop just down the street from here."

"Oh please, brother," she snorted buckling in. "I'm a _chef_. A great chef! You think _I_… with my refined palate… would settle for some run of the mill tea? Oh no, no, no!" she said, her tone haughty.

"I had no idea," he muttered sinking into his seat, "you were such a snob."

Chuckling she pulled away from the curb. "Only when it comes to food. And snob is such a harsh word… I prefer the term _'foodie'_."

With a casual wave of his hand, he gazed out the window wondering upon their destination. "Whatever." At least it would be a bonding experience.

* * *

Long road trips tended to have one of two affects on the people involved in them. They could, _A_: become annoyed to the point of insanity or _B_: bond and never want to leave one another _ever_ again. Takaya was leaning a bit more towards option (_A)_ when it came to his adventure with Hanairo. However, fearing for ones life at every pass and turn was also included in his choice. 

He found that his sister was a rather impatient driver. She liked to ride people's bumpers, flick her lights, honk her horn, make obscene gestures and swear; boy did she swear! Too much time in a kitchen, she had said, when he commented on her language. She also drove incredibly fast, whipping about dips and bends in the road to the point where Takaya feared she would roll the car.

And yet, despite all of this terrifying driving she seemed to be in complete control of the car. She deftly steered them out of the city and into the more rural parts of town.

When he asked where they were going she simply said, "You'll see!" in a rather sing song tone.

They were, on a level, bonding so option _(B)_ was still open. Takaya learned a few interesting tid-bits about his sister that he had not known before. Like her music choices. She listened to all kinds of music. Now, generally when one said they listened to "all kinds" of music there tended to be a few exceptions, but not with Hanairo. She liked American Country and Blue Grass, Reggae, hard Alternative rock, whinny British bands, Rap, New Age, Classical like Naoe, French rock, J-Pop, Indie, Emo, and everything else under the sun.

And he honestly did not mind the variety; it was the spice of life, after all. Plus it was nice to hear a wide range of music. Annoyance and insanity set in, however, when he found out she was an avid song skipper and CD changer.

Generally, on each CD she put in, they would listen to, at the max, four songs before she would fumble around – swerving slightly on the road – for another CD. Then she would repeat the process. Sometimes they would only listen to one song or part of it before she changed it.

After five minutes he wanted to smack her hand.

After six minutes he wanted to break her CD player.

After seven minutes he wanted to break her fingers.

After eight minutes he wanted to break her CD player and her fingers.

After nine minutes he finally took her CD - _Snow Patrol_ – and chucked it out the window.

After fourteen minutes she stopped screaming.

Her ears turned red, he noted, when she screamed.

* * *

A little less than half an hour later they arrived at the base of a snowy hill. Stepping out of the vehicle, hands on hips, she beamed up at the small building tucked into the side of the hill. "Well… we're here!" 

"Thank God…" Takaya muttered resisting the urge to kiss the ground. Instead he gazed up at the ancient structure before him. It was a small, rectangular building made of stone no larger than a two-bedroom house. Snow covered trees and plants encompassed the house in an intricate garden design.

"Well…?" she asked gesturing towards the salt-covered, steps leading towards the tiny structure.

With a nod he followed her up the forty steps and into the wintry garden. "I can't believe," he puffed out gazing down at the car at the base of the hill. "You brought me to a real tea house."

"You haven't been?" she asked, puzzled. Her eyes, he noticed, were nearly the same color as the frozen pond a few paces away.

"No. I've never even sat through a tea ceremony." He stuffed his hands self consciously into the pockets of his jeans. He felt a faint blush creep into his cheeks.

A gentle breeze blew through the garden lifting their hair. He watched, momentarily transfixed by the dancing, raven locks against pale skin. He blinked as she laughed.

"You have too. You've been to so many tea ceremonies I don't think I can count them all!"

"Well…" he grumbled staring at the door as it slowly slid open. "Not that I remember."

Her eyes gentle, she smiled warmly at him. "You'll remember this one."

He snorted at her annoyed by the fluttering of kinship he felt towards her.

A tiny, elderly woman appeared in the doorway of the teahouse. She wore a pale green kimono with a pink obi. She smiled softly, wrinkled cheeks puckering, as she stepped aside and bid them to enter.

Hanairo slipped her shoes off at the door, clasped her hands at her chest, and bowed deeply. "Kimakou-sama… it is a pleasure to see you again."

Kimakou bowed in turn. "Amiee-chan… so nice to see you again."

Hanairo bowed again.

Takaya followed his sister's example and removed his shoes then bowed at the woman.

"Welcome," she said returning his greeting. "The room you requested has been arranged for you, Amiee-chan."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

The elderly woman turned her brown eyes on Takaya. "I shall show your friend the changing rooms. This way," she motioned the sleeve of her kimono dancing in the air.

"Changing rooms…" he echoed gazing at his smiling sibling.

"Yes. We are not properly dressed. I'll see you in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay…" Hesitantly he followed the older woman down a long hallway effectively loosing sight of Hanairo.

* * *

"Your host will be with you shortly," Kimakou smiled and slowly slid the door of a tiny tearoom shut. Takaya, dressed in a rich, azure blue kimono with powder blue obi, swept his gaze around the small room. 

It was practically barren save for four tatami mats, two cranberry-colored pillows – facing each other – and a short, wooden screen. A small hearth was catty-corner to the cushions. Steam rose from the cast iron pot positioned over the coals. A set of _dōgu, _or tools, rested in a precise order around the hearth and screen. A wall scroll with the kanji for ' wisdom' hung on the wall to the right of the pillows. A simple bamboo vase sat under the scroll holding a single branch of winter, apricot flowers.

Sighing to himself he wondered where his sister was. Then, at the very same moment, he wondered when he had actually started to think of her _as_ his sister. Of course he still knew so little about her, but he felt a deep connection to her. It was the same feeling he held for Haruie, Nagahide and, yes, even Naoe; the simple feeling of _'yes, I know you'_ and _'yes, you belong at my side'_.

But a connection does not always mean trust and he did not trust her. At least he didn't think he did. After all it took him several months to warm up to the others; it would probably be the same with Hanairo.

If only he could remember her! All of the muddled feelings inside his chest would melt away if he could simply remember her.

Sighing once again he took a few steps towards one of the cushions when the screen directly in front of him opened and Hanairo stepped over the threshold. She, though dressed in a pale blue kimono with azure obi, stood with the regal refinement of a queen. Her wild raven locks were pinned into an intricate twist upon her head with only a few baby soft wisps falling in her face.

Smiling she walked towards him. Gesturing to his cushion she said, "Sit. I shall start the ceremony."

"You are my host?" he asked, puzzled.

"I am."

As Takaya knelt upon the pillow Hanairo proceeded to clean her utensils and check the water over the hearth.

"I did not know you knew how to perform tea ceremonies?"

"Did you know," she said her voice and movements soft and calm like a whisper, "people generally do not talk during a ceremony?"

He felt the embarrassing blush all the way down to his toes. "Oh…"

After wiping her tools clean with a small cloth tucked into the obi of her kimono; a paper fan was in the breast fold of her garment as well. She added a small amount of green tea powder to a brick-colored bowl. Elegantly she poured water from the kettle and, using a bamboo whisk, beat the tea to a gentle froth.

When finished she presented the bowl to him. "Please. Enjoy."

Tentatively he took the vessel and spun it around in his hands three times then, hiding his mouth, took a sip. "It's delicious. Thank you."

She smiled brightly and for the first time since she started the tea ritual she looked like Hanairo and not an elegant Japanese lady. But she was once, he had to remind himself. She was trained to be a proper lady and serve her husband. She was also a pawn in a war game just as he was. That thought made his chest tighten.

"I'm glad you like it. I made sure," she said taking a sip of her own tea, face rapt with enjoyment. "That this would be a casual affair. I did not get into all of the proper details required of a perfect tea ceremony. I thought it would be too much for your first time."

"I thought you said I had been to dozens of them?" he asked, puzzled.

"Oh you have… but… not in this life. Not as Takaya."

"Oh…"

After a moment of silence and quiet enjoyment of their tea he asked, "Where did you learn this?"

"Well… it was part of my training four-hundred years ago. To be a proper lady… I had to entertain my husband's guests. I needed to know how to receive them, entertain them, look after every ridiculous whim they may have had and yet do it all without speaking too loudly, walking too quickly or with too large a step and even without exposing too much of my skin.

"Tea ceremony, of course, was one of those things. I also learn calligraphy, watercolor, needlework, how to play the _biwa_, fans… song and dance… and a number of other things. All of this to _please_ my husband."

"Your husband… Lord So…"

"Hush!" she hissed holding up her hand. "Do _not_ speak his name."

She glared darkly at him; her eyes the color of ice. Though her stare was lethal her skin was ashen and her hands shook slightly in her lap. Naoe had told him what happened sixty years ago, but for some reason, he needed to hear it from her.

"What happened to you…?" he asked his voice full of concern.

She blinked at him, slowly. "What happened to me_? What happened to me_…" Pausing she shook her head and that smile, the smile that made his insides crawl, appeared on her lips. She snorted. "I was left to die."

"No… Naoe said we…"

"Oh did he? I'd forgotten how convenient it was for you to turn that memory of yours on and off. I mean I know you awakened in Neko… and more in Kyoto… but for some reason you recall nothing of what happened to me. Heh… so strange."

"Look I…"

"No!" she nearly screamed ramming her index finger into the mats. "You look! You look into my eyes and realize that I survived. I passed your sick test, brother. I made myself worthy. _I survived_. But nothing… _nothing_… is ever good enough for you. _Nothing._ Now, my darling, I know why Naoe is so insane."

Blinking, mouth agape, he could do nothing but stare at her.

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm so sorry. That was very rude and uncalled for. You don't remember. You… you are not Kagetora, are you, Takaya?"

Looking up at him she smiled softly. Closing the space between him she touched his cheek adding to his shock. "You are not Kagetora… at least not fully… and I should not take my rage out on you."

Moving away from her touch he asked, "You hate Kagetora?"

"No. But I blame him. I blame you… you and all your coldness and unwillingness to let anyone know what's going through your mind. I hate it. Had I been informed of the on goings of that day... what happened to me probably would not have occurred."

"W-what… do you mean?" He asked puzzled by the sadness in her eyes.

Sighing deeply she shook her head. "It was a trap. A trap designed to lure you and the army out of hiding. They were after _you_. I could sense the way the men were moving about that cursed building and I had to warn you. But you put me into hiding; I was never allowed to help. You knew of the trap, however, and were prepared for it. I was not informed of that little tid bit, and, once out of hiding, I was captured." With a casual wave of her hand she said, "The rest, you know… is history."

"But I was trying to protect you!" he shouted much to his own amazement and hers.

Momentarily shocked they gazed at each other in silence.

One corner of her mouth kicked up and she smirked. "Heh… where you now? I fear though, dearest Takaya, that you do not recall _exactly_ what happened."

He opened his mouth to reply when she smiled softly at him; that same smile that made him want to reach out and hug her. Crush her slender body to his and never let go.

"In all honesty, Takaya, it really doesn't matter. I'm alive… and I got to go off and do all the things that I always wanted to do. We, as possessors, are so fixated on the past. We simply can not move forward because… in essence… our lives stopped on the day of our death and trying to live past that is nearly impossible. All of the feelings… all of the thoughts… they never go away." She suddenly giggled and grabbed his hand giving it a solid squeeze.

"We are the world's biggest grudge holders."

Unable to resist he returned her affectionate squeeze before releasing her hand. "I just…" He paused swallowing hard unable to fully confess his thoughts.

"What?"

Sighing he said, "Wish I could remember. I don't understand why, if I _am_ Kagetora, I sealed off my memories."

She shrugged her slender shoulders and sighed. "I could not tell you that. I have guesses. Like… you wanted to be normal? Perhaps, like me, you wanted to leave the whole possessor bull shit behind you and live like a normal person. Or… perhaps you were simply trying to stop a cycle of hate and loathing."

A shiver coursed through his body and he knew instantly what, or more importantly whom, she was talking about. _Naoe…_

"Do you love him?"

Gazing into her eyes, his hands shaking, he said, "No."

"Do you want him?"

"No."

"Do you need him?"

"No."

"Then why do you keep him at your side. If, by what you've just stated, you have no use for him… why keep him? Let him go and end your misery and his."

She gazed at him so fully almost as if peering right into his soul. It unnerved him and he wished with all of his might that he had not started to confess any feelings to her. His sister was far too perceptive.

He blinked at her. Even with her sudden outburst he still could not seem to shake the feelings he held for her. She had a right to be angry with him, he supposed. He really did not know the whole story. And, in all honesty, the more he found out about Lord Kagetora and his past the more he wished that he could forget.

"Well… why do you keep him?" she prodded, suddenly interrupting his thoughts.

Started from his musings he spit out the first thought in his head, "Because he's _mine_."

Reaching for her teacup, she smiled softly. "Heh… so I see, so I see…" Taking a long drink she beamed that bright, Hanairo smile at him. "You truly are my brother after all."

* * *

**Authors Note**: Hiya! Well… another chpt said and done. So sorry it took me _SO_ much longer than a month to update. I recently moved (several states from where I resided before) and started a new job. Stuff like that can be hectic for awhile. But I'm back now! 

I hope this chpt turned out okay. It kinda took a different turn that what I had originally mapped out in my head. But I like it. Yeah… it's a little dark… sorta. Haha! You start to realize that, despite himself, Takaya is becoming attached to Hanairo, which is good on a level. And… well… you also learn that she's kinda crazy and has some issues… what are those issues? Um… don't know yet! Haha!

Why do we have Takaya angsting and not Naoe? Well… um… I dunno! Haha! I try to write from only one person POV in each chpt. Sometimes it's Naoe, most of the time is Takaya and a few times it's Chiaki. When it's a group… like in the previous chpt… I do a lil Takaya POV and then some 3rd person. Easier for me. ANYWAY… so since this was all about Takaya… I figured we could angst the crap outta him. And boy did I ever!! I hope his thoughts in the shower weren't too much. I was trying to be vague, cuz I know, for awhile, that that "nightmare" was vague to him as well. So… I _really_ hope that turned out well.

Oh but did you, my darling readers, get a nice dose of smut? Heehee! I love writing sex scenes. They're amusing. I figured Takaya would like it a lil rough; I hope so too cuz of what I know of Vol 20 he gets it rough. But if you guys didn't notice… I did… because of that dream… bump up the rating. It is now **M** for **Mature**. There will be a few more polite porn scenes in the near future. fangirl squeal

Thank you once again for reading. And thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed, I'm glad ppl enjoy my work. It keeps me writing.

Happy Reading! Ana

* * *

Next Chapter: _Oda's Search – The Eye of Hinotama_

"It is a talisman of immense power."

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Oda's Search – The Eye of Hinotama

* * *

"Takaya… how about this one?" 

The boy in question, who looked very out of place amongst the racks of women's shoes, socks, gloves and other accessories, turned to face his friend a few steps away.

The blonde with the solemn eyes held up a large, bright gold handbag with sequence and dangly, sparkly, fringe. One golden eyebrow was arched slightly upward as he waved the purse back and forth. "Well?" he asked his voice slightly hopeful.

With a snort Takaya shook his head. "Yuzuru… you're mom is not a hooker."

Puzzled Yuzuru eyed the item. "You think this is hooker-ish?" The sparkles caught in the light and momentarily blinded him. "Huh… I guess you're right." Sighing in defeat he placed it back on the rack and continued his search.

Smirking Takaya turned away from his friend. "Are you sure she wants a purse for her birthday?" He wondered towards the wallet section and gazed, in some wonderment, at the different sizes, colors and shapes.

"Oh yes…" Yuzuru muttered.

Takaya suddenly heard the ringing of bells and was about to shout that _that_was_not_ a good choice regardless of how "cute" the item was. The sound, thankfully, quieted just as quickly as it had started. Obviously Yuzuru agreed.

"She mentioned needing a new pocket book so many times in the past month… oh!"

Stopping his intense analysis of women's wallets, Takaya glanced up to see Yuzuru's latest choice. It was a rectangular shaped purse with large silver buckles and lime green alligator skin. Takaya could not suppress the shiver that ran down his back.

"No," he firmly said.

"No?" the blonde asked once again examining the bag. "But it has these funky buckles. I think mom would like them."

"Yuzuru… its alligator print."

That eyebrow arched again. "So?"

"So… it's lime green alligator print. Put it back."

"But Takaya…" he shook the bag for good measure, "the buckles…"

Chuckling he shook his head. "You go stand out on the corner with that purse and see how many creepy dudes in black cars pull over and ask you for a ride. Do you really want your mother to have that?"

Pausing Yuzuru gazed at the purse for a long moment then cautiously put it back. "Ah… I guess you're right. Gods this is so complicated!" Grumbling he moved deeper into the forest of handbags. "At least I have you with me, Takaya. I knew you would be a good judge of these things."

"And what's that suppose to mean?" he snapped rather defensive. "You think I'm gay or something'?"

Yuzuru faced him and snorted. "Heh… no… of course not. I simply said that 'cause you have a sister. I thought that some of that might have rubbed off on you."

Blushing slightly in embarrassment he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket. "Yeah… well… I guess my only thought on any of this stuff is what I would and would not let my sisters wear."

"Sisters?" the blonde blinked.

"What?" he choked out not having noticed his slip.

"You said sisters. Do you have another besides Miya?"

Flustered he shook his head. "What? No. I fucked up. I meant sister… as in one. Not sisters as in two."

Chuckling softly Yuzuru turned once again and walked into the sea of purses. "Okay then. I was a little concerned there."

Takaya watched him as he, himself, slowly left the handbag area. He let out a deep breath and cursed himself for being so stupid as to say "sisters". He had not told Yuzuru of Hanairo and he had no plans of doing so either. She did not go to school regardless of that one time she had shown up in uniform. Yuzuru, thankfully, never asked about that day several weeks ago and the strange girl they both had met.

Oddly enough, even after their slightly intense and very strange tea ceremony, the pair had bonded. Oh it was not immediate of course, but over the past two weeks Hanairo had made herself a constant in his life. Somehow, by continually popping up like an annoying gofer, she had wheedled her way into his heart. Well… about as close as anyone could get, he supposed.

For a while he was always so surprised that she seemed to end up in the same place he did: the arcade, the park, and his apartment – sometimes Miya was there and sometimes she was not. It dawned on him one day that her powers were that of a spirit tracker so of course she would know his whereabouts, perhaps even before he did.

Not only did she incessantly appear out of thin air, she was full of never ending chatter. She talked about her love of food, the daily trials and tribulations of her job, Helena, and of course Chiaki. He was frightened, more often than not, when she spoke of Chiaki. There were just some intimate things that he did not want to know about his men. However, her chatter of her lover almost always brought out his surly side. It made him think and brood over Naoe and the last time he had seen him.

Damn that man and his intoxicating kisses; and damn him for abandoning him. He had not heard a single word from his_ "loyal" _manservant. Nor had anyone else, he supposed. No one brought him up or mentioned that they had spoken with him. He did, on a level, suspect that Hanairo talked to him, but was wise enough not to mention his name in Takaya's presence.

_Well fuck Naoe_! He thought bitterly stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat as he paced the walk in front of the accessories section. Love and relationships were bullshit, as far as he was concerned. Love was painful and twisted, not pure and flowery like the poets described. Naoe was, apparently, "desperately in love" with him. What good,_truly_, has come from that "love" - and their relationship for that matter? _Pah_! What a load of crap.

Snorting he tossed his head and glanced away from his friend. Yuzuru, he admitted, was the only person alive – and or previously dead and reincarnated into a body stealing, soul purifying exorcist from a nether world army – which he felt he could trust and rely on. Their relationship was the only one that made any sense. And he hoped it always would.

Sighing deeply, he dragged a hand down his face then into his hair. Turning to make his way back to Yuzuru, a bright yellow blur caught his eye. He wondered, cautiously – this was the women's hosiery section after all – towards the color. Blinking he stared down at a pair of electric yellow socks with happy, brightly colored limes and oranges on the ankle. The toes were a shocking pink.

Grinning softly he picked up the socks and glanced at the price tag. His phone vibrated against his thigh causing him to jump. An animated, feminine, happy face with big lips winked and grinned at him.

Sighing he flipped open the device. "What?"

"Takaya!" was shouted in a rather singsong tone into his ear.

"Yes, Hanairo?" he grumbled sounding very much like a disgruntled older brother.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked drawing out the words in a way that both amused and annoyed him.

"I'm at the mall with Yuzuru. I told you that."

"I_know_ where you are, silly. I just wanted to know what you were doing?"

"I'm helping him shop for his mom's birthday. I told you that, too!" he half shouted half grumbled into the phone.

"Oh well that's nice. Say, hey, Takaya… are you almost done?"

"I dunno…." He muttered leaning his hip against the table of socks, lemon colored ones still dangling in his fingers. "There's a lot to choose from. Why…?"

"Oh… well… do you want to swing by the restaurant? I got this great side of blue-fin tuna in and I want you to try some."

"Is it free?" he asked knowing the answer. Said question, however, would undoubtedly make her laugh.

And so it did. Giggling she said, "Of course."

"Good. Then I'll stop by."

"Excellent. Wonderful… I'll see you then." At that she hung up.

He could not seem to wipe the wispy smile from his face as he went to find Yuzuru and check on his progress. The lemon-colored socks were still in his hand.

* * *

Once more he was entranced by the dance of smoke. Twisting and turning and wafting high into the air, swirling around the frosted glass that hung above his head. He would need a lot more than this one lone cigarette to calm his frayed nerves. He would need _at least_ ten packs, no, wait, twelve. Oh fuck it… twenty! Sighing deeply he pinched the bridge of his nose as the sickening sound of bone against metal echoed in his ears. 

It had been two weeks and three days since "The Kiss" and damn him for thinking it had been only hours ago. He had his master right where he wanted him. Moaning and breathless, squirming for more, practically begging for _it,_ and so desperately wanting _him_to release that need and yet… he ran away. _He ran away!_ What a coward! What a dog! The cracking sound happened again only this time it was sawing. Metal grated against flesh emitting a wordless scream from its victim. He watched, momentarily transfixed as pale skin was ripped from flesh, not a drop of blood spilt. The victim's innards lay casually to the side bleeding across the wood.

Why did he leave? Why did he run away? He could have had his way with the boy right there in the front of his car with no regrets. That is what he wanted, wasn't it? He had desired his master for more than four hundred years and he had him in the palm of his hands. He was right there, ripe for the plucking. Why?! Why didn't he take like the cold-hearted bastard he was? _He could have had him! _

He pressed his palm into his forehead cigarette still grasped between his fingers. Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to drown out the little voice in his head; the little voice who had been tormenting him since he had pulled away from those sweet, tender, virgin lips. _You love him. You respect him. You could never take him while he was intoxicated and not in his right mind. You want him screaming your name while he is fully coherent. You want him, as he is – surly, rude, innocent and coy, dominating, overbearing and deliciously sexy. There is no other way. _

_Just like that damn mirror…_ Letting out a breath he did not realize he was holding in he drew his eyes towards the bones of that poor creature, ripped apart and gutted right there on an exquisite bamboo board. They lay, dotted with pink-ish flesh, right next to his face. That poor creature had to watch its own torture. Damn how he knew what it felt like to be a fish.

"Naoe-kun," she grinned placing a small plate of beautifully sliced salmon before him.

Straightening in his seat he replaced his cigarette with chopsticks and took a bite. The sweet flavor assaulted his taste buds and he smiled in approval. "Delightful."

She beamed at him.

For all of his suffering over her brother, for all of the mistakes he had made in the past, that one bright smile made everything seem worthwhile. Unfortunately he knew his euphoria would not last long. Takaya would soon arrive at the restaurant and they would have to face each other for the first time since their little tryst in the car. Oh and how he loathed the thought of that moment. His insides were knotted and he felt ready to vomit all over the bar, but of course, he would never do so. Instead he reached for some pickled ginger hoping the slightly sweet item would calm his nerves and settle his stomach. It did not work, of course.

"Hanairo-chan, may I try the tuna now?" Haruie pleaded holding out a lovely porcelain bowl.

Naoe, Haruie, and Nagahide arrived at the very empty restaurant close to an hour ago. It was decided amongst them, without their lord's knowledge, that the _Flying Fighter Fish_ would be the best place to hold their meeting. Oda's plans in Toyama were finally discovered and their next move needed to be planned and executed as quickly as possible. And so the small ban of Uesugi possessors had gathered together to put a stop Oda's devious plans before it was too late. First off, however, they had to wait for their lord to arrive from his shopping excursion. So they patiently waited while eating free sushi.

Grinning Hanairo shook her head. "No, sorry, not till Takaya arrives. I promised him first dibs."

Haruie cast her gaze towards the large slab of_ toro_ - the fattiest, richest, cut of tuna - just off to the side of the bar covered in layers of ice. "I know… but it looks so yummy. I can almost hear it calling to me."

"If you start hearing the spirits of dead fish, Haruie, I'm going to have you committed," Nagahide remarked taking a bite of rice.

She snorted. "Heh… we should all be committed with our backgrounds."

"She does have a very valid point, love." Hanairo grinned at him, twirling her _tako hiki_ – sashimi knife – around in her hand.

"How many times did you stab yourself learning that little trick, sweetness?" he asked gazing at her. His eyes were like liquid earth, deep and dark.

She squirmed slightly under that intense gaze, but at the same time felt empowered. "None, my love. You were, after all, the one who taught me to handle a _sword_… or knife," she whispered breathlessly her words suggestive. Grinning seductively she leaned over the bar and pressed her lips to his, slipping her tongue into his mouth. They drank from each other for a moment before they were interrupted by the scrapping of one of the bar stools.

"I need some air," was murmured gruffly as Naoe left the empty restaurant.

"Was it something I said?" Hanairo asked cheeks flushed.

"Oh brother…" Haruie muttered returning to her meal.

Outside the restaurant Naoe lit another cigarette. The bitter cold felt good on his flushed and nervous body as an icy wind kicked up spraying the dust of previously fallen snow. Damn those two! They were ridiculously nauseating and he was ridiculously jealous. He needed some more ginger.

Snorting at his own state of pathetic, he paced up the street letting the wind nip at his body. Having arrived at the restaurant from the office, he was dressed in a dove gray suite with silky red tie. He paused in his walk at a lamppost a few paces from the door. Tilting his head toward the sky he sighed deeply then ground the cigarette into the snow. The spiritual energy of his master shot up his spine making him whip his gaze towards the boy standing a foot from the door.

By gods but he was utterly glorious. His body was ridged, hands fisted at his sides, a small brown-bag in his left. Dressed in dark jeans, a pale green tee shirt and the ever-present bomber jacket, those light eyes held his gaze. His skin was illuminated in the wintry, afternoon sun; his cheeks a lovely shade of pink. Dark hairs danced across his forehead like fairies. Their soft wings fluttering against thick lashes, which shielded honey eyes. Those dangerously alluring, tiger-eyes flashed and Naoe felt his knees weaken. Those eyes were always his undoing.

"Ka… Takaya," he whispered the wind carrying his words to the boy.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he growled so softly Naoe flinched; he would have preferred him yelling those words. Yelling was anger, a whisper meant emotional hurt and the slight hitch in his voice meant pain. _Fuck me_, he thought wanting to crawl into a hole and rot.

"We are all here," he said and watched, momentarily transfixed, as those lush lips – lips that he had drank greedily from – formed a harsh line.

Without another word Takaya walked into the restaurant.

Naoe followed like the dog he was.

Their master was greeted with joy and a hug from Haruie. "I'm so glad you're here! We can have tuna now!" she beamed at him and he chuckled softly.

"Takaya! I'd hug you but I've got fish guts on my hands." He watched as she leaned over the bar, much as she had done to her lover, and kissed both of his cheeks in a traditional French greeting. She then pointed to the bar stool next to his own. Naoe knew that would not go over well, but the teen slid into the seat placing his package atop the bar.

"Did you buy a purse, Takaya?"

"Shut up, Chiaki! Asshole."

They chuckled.

"Well what did you buy?" Haruie asked trying to steal the item.

He evaded her with ease. "It's nothing much," he muttered thrusting the parcel in his sisters face.

The blue-eyed girl blinked at the bag. "You bought me something?"

"I saw them and thought you would like them."

She blinked at him again and then her whole face lit up. "You bought me a present, Takaya-san!" She practically ripped the package from his hands in excitement. Quickly she washed her hands then reached into the bag and pulled out the socks.

"Oh my… Takaya!" she squealed in delight. "I love them!" she practically jumped onto her work surface as she grabbed the back of his head and kissed the corner of his mouth; her lips close to his. "These are the best socks ever!" She waved them about and giggled. "Look at the little oranges and limes!"

Nagahide chuckled and shook his head at she handed the socks over to Haruie. "Just what you need, sweetling, another pair of ridiculous socks."

"I know! Aren't they great?!"

"They are pretty cute," Haruie agreed. "But why did dancing citrus fruits remind you of Hanairo?"

"Well… 'cause she always smells like lemons," he said with a bit of a blush. "Why do you smell like lemons, sis?"

She chuckled and plunged her hands into the bin of ice containing the side of tuna. "Because I stink."

"What?"

"Lemon juice gets rid of strong odors like fish," Naoe answered as he rejoined the group.

He slid into his seat uptight and ridged, as his master flinched and moved away. Sighing deeply he picked up the chopsticks and tapped a tiny finger bowl. Hanairo blinked and gazed at him. Something in her eyes made his insides flip. She was too perceptive. Silently she refilled the bowl with pickled ginger.

"So… are we here to just sample some tuna or is there another reason? Its odd for us to be together like this. And… _no one_ consulted me on this meeting, so something _must be_ up. Hmm?"

His men and sister paused for a long moment and then Nagahide spoke. Pulling his glasses from his nose he proceeded to clean them on the edge of his shirt.

"Remember my little trip to Toyama a few weeks ago?"

How could they forget? It was during Nagahide's absence that Hanairo had reentered their lives.

"Oda's forces were quietly gathering there and… they seemed to be in search of something. While there I couldn't find any solid info, but recently I did some deeper digging and I think I figured it out." Placing his glasses back on his face, Nagahide reached into the messenger bag at the foot of his stool. He pulled out a map of Toyama and passed it down the table. "The area I circled has been giving off a strange energy as of late, so I looked into what was around there. I was able to find the _Hokudasuto Shrine_. It is rumored that the priests there are not allowed to leave the temple… _ever_. Infant boys are brought there and raised so that they will be untouched by the influences of the outside world."

"Sounds like a sick type of cult if you ask me," Hanairo muttered placing samplings of tuna in front of everyone.

"It would be, sweets, except for what the priests are protecting."

"And that would be…?" Takaya asked savoring the rich piece of fish in his mouth.

"That would be an amulet of sorts. A jewel… I suppose. They call it the_Eye of Hinotama_. They say that a god who lived in the stars fell in love with a human. But since he lived amongst the cosmos and the human lived on Earth, they could never be together. So, frustrated with simply watching his love from such a great distance, he plucked out his eye and sent it to the human so he could watch over and protect them, always."

"May I just say," Haruie interjected, "That if a man ever, _ever_, sent me his eyeball as a token of love, I'd run away screaming… and as quickly as possible, too."

"Van Gough cut off his ear for a woman."

Haruie shook her head at the female standing behind the bar. "That's just as sick. Truly… what is wrong with men these days? Flowers are too cliché… let me cut off a body part and give it to you? Bleck… gives me the willies," she said with a shiver.

"Oh! Napoleon had his woo-woo cut off and given to a woman he once loved. But that was after he had died, of course."

A thick silence suddenly fell on the group, four pairs of eyes blinking wildly at her. "What? It's true."

Nagahide cleared his throat and shook his head. "I don't want to know how or why you know such random information." Chuckling softly he said, "At any rate… whether that little legend is true or not the actual jewel does exist. It is an item of immense power rumored to amplify the holders power exponentially."

"So… Oda's found it?" Takaya asked his tone grave.

"No… not yet. You see… apparently the monks have a barrier around the eye hiding its power. It is also rumored that the eye does not even reside in the temple, but somewhere else entirely. Which is why they are still searching for it."

"But if they can't find it… what makes you think that we can?"

"Ah ha! I wasn't sure of that at first either, but… if the eye once belonged to a being of immense spiritual power than, surly, _someone_should be able to track said spiritual power."

Once more four pairs of eyes locked on the woman standing behind the bar, a wriggling rainbow trout in her hands. "Um… pardon?"

"That's right!" Haruie interjected smiling at her friend. "You should be able to track down the spiritual flow of that eye and lead us straight to it. Then we can destroy it. Sounds pretty simple to me."

"Well… there's a catch."

"Isn't there always?" Takaya muttered munching on his meal.

"The reason the monks isolate themselves is because, well, how to put this… anyone who touches the eye becomes possessed by its power."

"Pardon?" Naoe asked.

"From what I understand the eye amplifies the spiritual power that one already possesses. It is rumored that anyone who merely holds the eye in his or her hand will become possessed by its power. Since it forces an unnatural amount of power to flow forth from the holder's body, eventually the host is destroyed by the overflow of spiritual energy. So… in essence… I think they implode from too much power."

"Well that's kind of karmic if you ask me, "Haruie muttered laying her head in her hand.

Finally, his stomach still doing the tango with his intestines, Naoe spoke. "It will not be an easy mission, I'm sure. Oda's clan members will be on the prowl and perhaps even the Hojo. But… if all that you say is true, Nagahide, the means to destroy the jewel are in our power, and without laying a finger on it. Unless… of course… it is indestructible, which would explain why the amulet has remained in the care of isolated monks as well as the grave expression on your face."

"Yes..." he sighed deeply shaking his head. "That's the rumor anyway. No one has been able to destroy it, too tempted by the power it holds. I heard that the monks have tried on several occasions to destroy it, but it seems they are not powerful enough to do so. That is why they keep it hidden and away from outsiders. Never having experienced a life of greed, anger, lust, the monks are immune to the affects of the jewel and whatever whispers of power it holds."

"So maybe… with all that said… it's in better hands with the monks and we should leave well enough alone?" Hanairo suggested.

"No," Takaya interrupted shaking his head. "Oda is ruthless in their quest for power. If someone were to get their hands on the _Eye of Hinotama_, it's hard to say if we could even stop them; if it is as powerful as Chiaki says." He paused, his tiger-eyes flashing and said, "We will destroy it."

"Of course, Lord Kagetora," Naoe said. "Hanairo you have one day to locate the eye. We need to leave as soon as possible."

"One day…?" she blinked, baffled. "But what if I can't do it by then? Truly… perhaps this is not a good…"

Takaya silenced her with a dark glare. "I have spoken, sister. You are a member of the Uesugi, are you not?"

Quickly she cast her eyes towards Nagahide who stared back at her in stony silence. He and her brother may have their differences, but he was ridiculously loyal. Sighing she nodded, "Yes. I am."

"And when the leader of your clan says something you obey, right?"

She sighed and nodded again. "Yes. I will locate the eye in less than a day."

"All right… so it's settled then. We're going to Toyama and the_Hokudasuto Shrine_."

* * *

Authors Note:_crawls out of the abyss she had fallen into _Oh my goodness… it's been _AGES_! I'm so, so, _SO_ sorry for that. I am a pastry chef and I – back in June – went to help open a hotel. Now that is truly no easy task, I assure you. I was there 16hrs a day if not longer. Terrible, terrible! That, of course, left me no time to think about anything other than my pillow for months. It has _FINALLY_ calmed down to a point where I now get 2 days off a week and work between 8 and 10 hrs everyday. Which means… I can write again!! Whoot! Let's all stand up and cheer. I know you don't care, per say, but I wanted to make sure you knew that I didn't abandon this thing. The characters are still kicking about my head, as is the will to write it all out. 

I know this chpt wasn't that exciting (and frankly I just wasn't that pleased with it – not enough emotion)… but I'm leading up to things… to the "epic battle" so to speak. Heehee! I know there is a slightly random personality switch in Takaya near the end and it's just that I noticed, when faced with battles and plans for said battles, he always seems to be more in "Kagetora mode". I don't know if that was just me or what. But that's what the anime seemed to say… so that's what I did. Plus Hanairo seems meeker… that is also cuz of "Kagetora mode". She is to obey her ruling clan member at all costs even if she does not like it. That is, technically, her lot in life.

Random food fact, by the by, ginger – pickled as well – is thought to calm the nerves and stomach. That's why Naoe ate some earlier on and kept downing it. Haha! I think, regardless of how it's to settle one's stomach, I'd have thrown up if I ate as much ginger as I made him eat.

Thank you, thank you, _**and thank you**_ to all of you who reviewed and left words of encouragement during my long, long absence. _I'm so appreciative_. If it weren't for you, my darling readers, I'd have no reason to do this. So thanks. I promise… chpt. 13 will be up soon and _very_ interesting. Until then! Happy Reading. Ana

PS: I'm thinking I want to commission an art piece – or perhaps several – from my fic. I definitely want one of Hanairo and maybe a Naoe x Takaya point in the story. Anyone willing? Drop me a line and let me know.

* * *

Next Chapter: _The Temple & the Priest_

"This place is lame. I want some Dairy Queen."

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

**_Chapter Thirteen: The Temple & The Priest_**

* * *

It was a long trip. Made even longer by the fact that they had to drive instead of take the train. It was Naoe's brilliant idea and Takaya figured it was a way for the older man to torture him. The last time he was in this sleek, black vehicle he was being ravished. This time, however, he was plastered up against the window – and not in the same manner – trying to avoid any contact with the driver. Nagahide and Hanairo resided in the back seat. Haruie rode her bike and followed behind them. Sometimes she would play games by passing them and then slowing down until Naoe would pass her. Takaya had to admit he was pleased Naoe was humoring her.

They left before dawn and not an easy feat considering they were up half the night. Hanairo made breakfast and they ate in the car. Everyone in the vehicle was relatively quiet for most of the trip until they stopped for gas and a "stretch break". Hanairo got a second wind and started chattering incessantly. She even convinced Naoe to let them listen to some of her CDs. She, however, was not allowed to touch the player. Not long after that Nagahide and Hanairo fell asleep curled in each other's arms. Takaya found it sickening as he always did. Jealously clawed at his stomach as well as resentment towards them and, of course, Naoe.

He glanced over and studied the man's profile. He had such a beautiful face. Very classic in it's look with a strong nose and jaw as well as those lush lips. Oh and they were toxic, those lips, and he recalled – his cheeks flush – the wickedness of his tongue. Damn that man. Damn him!

Grunting in annoyance he tightly crossed his arms and legs. Resting his head against the door of the car, he snuggled into his sweatshirt and closed his eyes. He, too, could use some sleep.

"Lord Kagetora?"

He opened his eyes slowly and glared at the reflection of Naoe in his window. "What?" he snapped, trying to tighten the ball of his body for protection.

"Would you like to stop again? You seem… uncomfortable," he asked tentatively.

He snorted. Understatement of the century! Being in Naoe's presence was agony. Did the daft idiot not know that? He was queasy, jittery, flushed and nervous all in one: a true "bundle of nerves". He felt ridiculously stupid falling for Naoe's pretty words of love. What had made him start to believe them? It was crystal clear that night that Naoe did _not _want him. But, what in gods name did he want? _What did either of them want? _His head started spinning and he groaned.

"No!" he half shouted then became suddenly embarrassed as he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Nagahide stir. Cheeks flaming he said, "No… I'm fine. I'm trying to sleep." At that he covered his head with the hood of his sweatshirt and pulled the strings effectively burying his face and blocking out the site of Naoe. He could not, however, get rid of the sounds of him moving in his seat or licking his lips or clearing his throat or even stretching and the slightly erotic images those sounds conjured up.

Takaya never was able to sleep.

* * *

Three and a half hours later they were driving through the city of Toyama towards the outskirts and the ocean. The forests and bay rose to greet them. They drove down a gravel path towards the temple. The ancient structure was tucked deep into the forest and perched upon a cliff over looking the ocean. It would have been utterly romantic if not for the ominous dark cloud hanging overhead.

"Truly, Naoe-kun, are we _there_ yet? I_ really_ have to pee."

"Soon," the older man said his tone soothing.

"Okay," his sister sighed wriggling some in her seat. "But… please hurry. I don't think I can last much longer."

Nagahide chuckled and was about to comment when Hanairo shot him a dark look. "Say one thing, _muffin_, and I shall turn your testicles into sashimi!"

The teen refused to comment but still looked smug, a smile gracing his lips.

"Are we there yet?"

A chorus of sighs echoed through the car, but the female who asked the question grunted. "I just wanted to know 'cause I have to relieve my bladder! Sheeze."

Naoe drove slowly up the crushed-shell drive; the temple appeared before them out of the forest like a lost city. Ancient with battered wooden pillars and old shingles it looked like a piece of history. The parking lot over looked a large courtyard. Parking the car he said, "We're here."

"Oh thank god! I have to piss so damn bad!" Hanairo literally jumped out of the car, almost got herself run over by Haruie, and dashed towards the entrance.

A short, squat, elderly, man appeared in the doorway holding a golden staff with eight rings. He wore dark brown, red and white robes. He stood at the doorway atop a small flight of stairs. He addressed Hanairo first with a cautious smile. "Miss… may we help you?"

"I _need_ a bathroom!" she all but shrieked dancing about the yard.

The old man could not suppress a smile. Gesturing with his hand to a younger monk behind him he said, "Seta will show you the way."

"Thank you!" she beamed and disappeared with the teen.

The monk turned and faced the rest of the Uesugi.

"My name is Kaito. Welcome to the _Hokudasuto Shrine_. I am the head monk here."

Bowing Naoe addressed the monk. "Hello. My name is Tachibana Yoshiaki. I spoke with you yesterday on the phone."

"Yes of course, Tachibana-sama, welcome. We are honored with the presence of the Tachibana clan here at our shrine." The monk bowed and smiled softly.

"Thank you. It is indeed an honor to be here. My family has heard the name of _Hokudasuto_ many times. It's a shame we were unable to come here sooner. It's a beautiful temple."

The old man chuckled gesturing for Naoe to come up the stairs. "We may be isolated here, but we welcome visitors with open arms. Are these your associates?"

"Yes." Naoe turned on the bottom step and gestured with his hand towards the other Uesugi. "This is Ohgi Takaya, Chiaki Shuhei, Kadowaki Ayako and the young lady who was in a great rush to use your restroom was Yakata Amiee."

He smiled softly. "How nice. Please, this way and out of the cold. My followers will show you to your respected rooms so you may freshen up and relax. In an hour we shall meet for the evening meal and discuss our business."

"That will be fine. Thank you." Naoe bowed.

The man nodded ever so slightly and turned, staff jingling, towards the door. Hanairo appeared a moment later and bowed to the monk. "I heard you mention dinner. I'm a chef; and not to toot my own horn, but a darn good one. If it's possible I would love to help prepare dinner."

Smiling he said, "Yakata-sama… you are our guest. We could not allow you to do so."

Frowning slightly she said, "Well, may I watch? I would love to just observe. Maybe learn a new trick or too."

"I think that could be arranged."

"Yay!" she beamed clapping her hands.

Shaking his head Kaito walked past her. She paused and waited for Nagahide to come up the stairs followed by Haruie and Takaya. Naoe stayed behind to offer instructions to the younger monks carrying their things. Nagahide handed her a patchwork purse and smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist as they followed the monks inside.

"It's nice you get to help prepare dinner. I think you'd be bored if you didn't get to stick those delicate fingers in fish guts."

She chuckled. "I know, right."

"Did you remember to bring it?" Takaya asked his tone serious.

They stopped in the hall and she nodded.

"What did you remember to bring, Yakata-sama?"

Smiling softly she reached into her bag, fingers brushing a small glass bottle with a cork top, and pulled out a small device. "My camera of course. I want to take a few pictures of the grounds since I know I'm not allowed to take pictures of the inner temple."

Monk Kaito nodded and gestured towards a waiting area. "Very good, Yakata-sama. If you go through this room and the first door you will find the kitchens. Please… amuse yourself with fish guts."

There was a collective round of laughter as Hanairo disappeared in the room. Everyone watched her depart. They were then shown to their respective rooms where they would rest for an hour or so and then meet for dinner. Unknown to the monks it was going to be a dreadfully long night.

* * *

Takaya lay on his palate in a rather plain room. One battered, wooden table with two simple cushions, a tiny lantern and a bamboo plant was all that occupied the small space. He knew that it would be like this, sparse and barren. Most monks tended to live in such a manner. Naoe, however, did not. Then again, he supposed the man could not be called a monk. His "family" was more into ghost hunting.

A soft tap echoed off the door causing him to sit up. "Enter."

It was Hanairo, beaming and bounding towards him, followed by her constant shadow, Nagahide. Haruie blew in with that confident air of hers with Naoe at her heels. The room, Takaya thought, sizzled with desire and heat. Thankful he was the only one to think so. Naoe slid the door shut and knelt by the table, Haruie on his left Nagahide and Hanairo on the right followed by Takaya.

"Well?" their teenaged lord asked gazing directly into Naoe's dark eyes.

"I've only got four tea bags," Naoe said softly placing the items on the table.

"Three take sugar. The one takes a lot of milk. Not terribly complicated. I think I stuffed a few _Sweet & Low's _in my purse," Haruie added tapping each bag and sliding them towards their new owners.

Hanairo, lacking a tea bag, spoke earnestly. "I have tons of honey. It's all buckwheat though, my brother. I can't find the clover. I promise I'll keep looking for it."

Takaya sighed and nodded. To any casual listener their conversation was truly only about tea. To the five people sitting around a rickety table it was a secret code and plan of attack.

_"There are four main monks that guard the jewel and have power."_

_"Three and the head. They are strong, but not terribly. Lesser monks also occupy the property, but are no threat."_

_"I've sensed a lot of spiritual power, but can not find the jewel. Let me keep looking?"_

He placed his index finger against his chin and nodded. Closing his eyes in thought he spoke softly. "Tomorrow morning I better have clover honey for my tea. Perhaps check their kitchens; maybe you'll spot some. Tomorrow, I think, is also a good day for tea since all you brought is black tea; I don't want the caffeine and wish to sleep tonight." At that his tiger eyes flashed and the group nodded. A moment t later they departed leaving Takaya alone with his thoughts. The Uesugi would start their full out investigation tomorrow at dawn. Originally they were to start tonight. Hanairo was to knock the monks out with the sleeping potion she had brought. A dash in each monk's soup would suffice then they would be able to search for the eye uninterrupted.

He had changed his mind, however, not long after they arrived. Hanairo was still unable to find the jewel's hiding place and if the best aura tracker could not find it then Oda's men certainly would never be able to discover it's whereabouts. One night of rest would be okay, he supposed. But while his men slept this evening he would conduct his own investigation. What they did not know would not kill them.

* * *

She awoke with a start panting wildly, sweat pouring down her face. And he slept on. Shivering she pulled her knees to her chest wiping perspiration on the blanket. And still, he slept on. Glancing to her right Nagahide slept peacefully. Hair spread around him like a chestnut halo, face calm and quiet. Her nightmares never woke him. He was not always such a sound sleeper. It varied from body to body. This body, this Chiaki Shuhei, was dead to the world when asleep. Unfortunately she only allowed her pain to surface at night when her defenses were weak.

That man had destroyed her and they both knew it. She could still vividly recall the snapping sound of bone as he broke her fingers one by one. Then the searing pain as he removed those fingers with a dagger. Thankfully, after the second, she had passed out. But the smell of vomit and blood mingled in her nose and burned itself there. She would never get over the smell. Then he completely removed her hands and cauterized the nubs of her wrists. Burnt flesh mingled with that smell imprinted itself on her brain. Her eyes swam with tears as she watched him make a mix of ink and the ash of her hands. The evil seal required the mix in order to work. He had started etching it on her forehead, but her eyes bothered him, he said. So he plucked them out. She watched, in agony as he squashed one like a grape then continued his work on the seal.

"_This way no one can have you. You will forever be mine. Mine. Mine."_

That was all she really remembered. That and the shouting as the Uesugi attacked. He had paused on the curse mark and ran to give orders to his men. That was when she had used what was left of her spiritual abilities to, literally, blow her heart apart in her chest. Once her body had died her soul was able to escape, but just barely. Pure, dumb luck was the only reason she was still alive now and not thrust in total darkness for all eternity.

Trembling uncontrollably she wrapped her arms tighter around her body trying to ward off the demons that were tormenting her. She would never be free of them. No matter where she was, what country, what city, what place, he always haunted her, but not nearly as much as someone much, much closer to her heart. Someone her demented heart and soul craved.

Slipping from their soft pallet on the floor she pulled a gray hoodie over her head. Grabbing her slippers she left the room. Padding quietly down the guest hallway she slid the door of Haruie's room open. The woman slept soundly on her side facing the door. Appeased by this she walked to the next room. She looked in on Naoe who was also deep in his personal dreamland, and moved on. She paused before the final door; quietly she slid it open and went in.

She tiptoed over to the mass of gently moving blankets. Kneeling she gazed at the sleeping figure. Short, inky strands spread across the pillow a stark contrast on the white. Dark lashes fanned against pale cheeks like splotches of soot. His mouth was open softly emitting tiny puffs of air that tickled a thread on his blanket making it dance. Ever so gently she reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from his eyes. Delicately she traced her index finger along the side of his face stopping at the edge of the blanket.

_Damn you._ She thought glaring at the sleeping figure.

It was a well-known fact that even though they possessed different bodies somehow, someway, they would look something like their former selves. The hair color might be wrong, the skin tone, even the eye color, but something in the shape of their face made them look the same as they did four hundred years ago. For her, her eyes always came through. Regardless of the body she chose they ended up being blue. With her beloved brother it was the fall of his hair, the shape of his mouth, the tone of his voice and of course, his tiger-eyes.

She brushed her knuckles against his cheek and sighed deeply._ I will put an end to this madness. _Briskly rising to her feet she escaped the room and sprinted down the hallway. Well out of reach of any of her comrades' spiritual tracking powers she leaned against a wall and sighed. She placed her hand at her throat and tried to calm the emotional tremors coursing through her body. She had work to do. She must find that jewel!

Taking several deep gulps of air she closed her eyes focusing her thoughts, not on her brother and the crime she would soon commit against the Uesugi, but on the auras float around her like annoying particles of dust. Every living creature – both human and animal – has an aura. Before her original death she could not see them as clearly as she did now. They were threads of light dancing around a room. They followed a person like a tail disappearing after several hours. Those with stronger spiritual powers had thicker threads, which lasted days instead of hours. If she focused hard enough, however, she could loose sight of the threads and instead focus on great bursts of colored aura floating from a dormant place.

Blocking out all noise and light she tried to find that flare of power she was sure was in this temple. But where was it? Where had they hidden it? Even if they had buried and sealed the jewel there would still be bursts of power that regular trackers would not be able to see, but she could. She was, after all, the best.

Taking one last deep breath she opened her eyes. They glowed like a felines. She no longer saw walls or floors, plants or animals all she saw was black. Often she had thought of it as standing in the night sky, but without the light of the stars. She spun in slow circles searching for the power she felt whisking around her consciences. Finally after a few moments she saw it, a bright flare of red power shooting up in the darkness like the flame of a candle. There it was, that marvelous jewel of power.

Blinking, her eyes returned to normal. Sighing heavily she made her way through the temple silent as a thief. The closer she drew to where the jewel was housed the stronger and brighter the aura she saw became. She wondered through the halls and ended up in a large courtyard, which opened to the forest. The faint sounds of the ocean wafted through the breeze to her ears. A small tool shed was tucked into the trees and, smiling darkly, she headed towards it. _How did I miss this?_ She stopped at the latched door and stared at it. She could see the small bursts of blue aura surrounding the red. _Seals… powerful ones too_, she thought with a smirk.

Raising a delicate hand she blasted the seals with her own spiritual power. Angry electricity shot back at her, but she was undeterred pushing harder with her own spirit. Finally the blue lights snapped apart and scattered. Grinning to herself she reached for the handle. The door creaked open and she entered cautiously. Every single square inch of wall and ground space had been covered with paper seals. _No wonder I couldn't sense the power at first._ A tall, wooden table was all that occupied the tiny space; atop that a glass case.

She made her way towards it and gazed down at the golden trinket lying atop a silk pillow like some sort of trove. The center was a perfect circle of jade; so dark it was nearly black. Wrapped in an intricate, gold, knot design, almost like an Egyptian eye, it seemed to wink back at her whispering of its power. She could feel it flowing from the glass box like water. _A power strong enough to end it all._

Staring at the box she slowly reached out with her index finger and touched it. The box lit an intricately woven seal over every inch of the vessel warning all that dared touch it. Frowning she pulled her finger away and gazed down at the angry blister forming on the soft pad. _Well, well, well… clever little mortals._

"What are you doing?" a male voice roared.

Slowly she turned and smiled sweetly at the monk, Seta, standing in the doorway. "You are slow. You should have tried to stop me when you first arrived ten minutes ago, _sugar_."

His eyes widened momentarily and he raised one hand to form a sign. "I will stop you now. I knew you and your friends were after this jewel for evil."

"Not them," she grinned darkly, "Just me."

She thrust her hand out and grabbed at the monks spiritual threads. He froze in the doorway; his arms clamped at his sides. The golden staff he held clattered to the ground.

"W-what… is this…?" he gasped struggling to move.

"You will become my puppet." Wiggling her pinkie his arm rose in the air, demonstrating her power over him.

She walked towards him; her eyes as cold as the frozen pond they mirrored.

"Release me!" he shouted as she stopped in front of him.

Chuckling she said, "I can not open the box… but I know you can." She held up her finger to show him the angry welt that had formed. With a tiny shrug she stuck her finger in her mouth.

"Will you kill me?" he breathed, his voice harsh and strained from struggling in the invisible bonds she held him in. Eyes wide he gazed at her.

Cocking her hip, popping her finger out of her mouth she smiled at him a dark, wicked, dangerous smile. "Oh yes." Her eyes bored into his and then she winked popping her finger once more in her mouth she walked past him and out the door.

He turned his head ever so slightly to watch her leave. His breath left his body in a huge '_whoosh_' as blood bubbled from his mouth. He fell to the floor with a sickening thud, eyes as cold and lifeless as a doll.

* * *

Authors Note: Well, well, well… what do you think? Haha! This chpt was meant to expose a lot of the plot twists I had in my head. And I think it did… well sort of. It also gave you some true insight into Hanairo. You saw it briefly back in chpt 6… and did you really think it went away? Chapters 14 and 15 are both pretty short. Lots of action. I hope I write it well. I might… depending on my mood… condense them into one chpt. But I've not decided yet. I'm not all together happy with this chpt… I feel it's missing a lot of things I see in my head. Hmm… I'm not sure how to explain it. I have a feeling ppl will stop liking Hanairo from this chpt on, but, oh well. I don't want her to be one of those "normal" OC characters. I mean, A: she's in MoB. Everyone's fucked up. Haha! Truly, tho. B: she's in MoB! I can't have her be all happy as well as everyone else. There has to be a lot of substance to her as well as issues. I'm really trying my hardest to make her fit as if she was actually in the anime or manga. I really hope I'm succeeding in that. The next chpt is going to have a Takaya flash back; it's going to be a bit disturbing. So… be warned. Also… I swear… chpt 16 will have all the Naoe x Takaya smut you guys have been asking for. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and even simply read my story. I know my updates are ridiculously slow these days… but I am still plugging away. Promise. So… until next time – Happy Reading! Ana

* * *

Next Chapter: _Unlimited Power_

"I can feel it. It's amazing!"


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